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11/06/2012 11:50 AM
Onslaught of Deceptive Ads Make Passage of California GMO Label Referendum Shaky
SustainableBusiness.com News
Thanks to the onslaught of big money from big food and chemical companies, the forecast for California's GMO labeling law (Proposition 37) isn't good.
Within days, polling shows a decline from 44% in favor to 39.1%. A couple of weeks ago, polls were in a dead heat, and when the referendum was first announced, it looked like a shoe-in.
That drop occurred because of another influx of $3.3 million for negative, deceptive ads that scare people into thinking food prices will rise if food carries a GMO label.
Coca-Cola just donated $235,000 and Biotechnology Industry Organization sent $250,000. In all, $44 million has been spent by the likes of Monsanto, DuPoint, PepsiCo, General Mills and Kellogg in contrast to $7 million by those in favor of GMO labeling, which only began TV ads last week, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Whole Foods Market has finally stepped up to the plate, formally announcing support for Prop 37. They have signs in their stores and have trained employees across California stores about the referendum. They are running radio ads and using social media to get the word out, according to Napa Valley Patch.
Here is a TV ad from those that are trying to pass Prop 37:
Food Democracy Now put this list together of the corporations monetarily supporting and opposing Prop 37:
