Californian state voters rejected the Proposition 37 or Prop 37 by 55 to 45 percent which is according to Foodie Cess Adventures, "is The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act which will require manufacturers to label all food items that contain genetically engineered ingredients." she continued, "It also includes prohibition of using the word "Natural" in a food label. Organic foods that are certified would be exempt."
The Golden State decided that they don't need labeling food GMOs in the products they buy and eventually eat. It was the least expected result and truly a reversal when it started with two-to-one support. 9 out of 10 Americans are known to support GE food labeling according to Food Safety News, a known news source of all things Food Safety.
Big companies like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Nestle and other food and agribusiness companies spent $45.6 Million Dollars for lobbying and advertising for the "No" campaign compared to the $8.9 Million funded by Organic Consumers Fund, Nature's Path Foods, All-One-God-Faith Inc., Mark Squire and other organic food companies for the "Yes" campaign.
Shoppers, according to consumer activists and organic food industry, crave for more information about that they're actually eating and should be given all the information so that they can decide on whether to buy those products. The opposing party feared that labeling their products would mean putting a skull-and-crossbones symbol whereas study shows that bio engineered food is completely safe. About a dozen states in the U.S. introduced GMO labeling bills but like this one, it all failed.
CEO of Lundberg Family Farms and Co-Chair of the Yes on 37 campaign group, Grant Lundberg, told San Francisco Chronicle that, "Whatever happens tonight, this is a win. Never before have millions of Californians had come together to support giving consumers a choice about genetically engineered foods."
Because of the cause, the Yes campaign attracted some celebrity supporters. Big names like Kristen Bauer van Straten, Kaitlin Olson, Jillian Michaels, Emily Deschanel, Glenn Howerton, KaDee Strickland, Michelle Michaela, John Cho, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dave Matthews, Pharrell Williams which posted this tweet and six different ads with appearances of Danny DeVito, Molly Ringwald, James Van Der Beek, Minnie Driver, and Marisa Tomei.
