SJ MERCURY: Lead Funder of No on Prop. 37 Campaign Promoted GMO Labeling In Europe

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Sep 05, 2012, 02:02 ET

Monsanto's pro-labeling ads highlight growing credibility problem amongst opponents of California's food labeling measure

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the California Right to Know Campaign:

The biggest funder of the campaign against Proposition 37 ran ads supporting labeling of genetically engineered foods (GMOs) in Europe back in the 1990s, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The paper reports that St. Louis-based chemical industry giant Monsanto Company ran newspaper advertisements saying "Food Labeling. It has Monsanto's Full Backing," after the European Union approved labels for genetically engineered food back in 1997. Monsanto has contributed more than $4.2 million to the campaign to defeat California's Proposition 37, which would be the first law requiring similar labels on genetically engineered food in the United States.

Read the Mercury News Report: http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_21452920/monsanto-fighting-efforts-label-genetically-engineered-food-california

View Monsanto's ads in support of GMO Labeling: http://www.monsanto.co.uk/highlights/ads/ad4.html and http://www.monsanto.co.uk/highlights/ads/ad3a.html

"The Monsanto ads highlight the growing credibility problem of the No on 37 campaign," said Yes on 37 California Right To Know campaign spokeswoman Stacy Malkan. "Then again, its chief funders are the same companies and political operatives that told us cigarettes, DDT and Agent Orange were safe. Now they expect us to believe that Europeans have the right to know what's in their food, but Americans don't."

With a growing body of research linking genetically engineered foods to environmental problems, allergies and other human health risks, organizations ranging from the World Health Organization to the American Medical Association have called for mandatory safety studies -- a standard the US fails to meet. Fifty countries around the world, including the UK, China, Russia, Japan and Australia, now require labeling of genetically engineered foods.

For more information on Yes on 37, the California Right to Know Campaign, visit www.carightoknow.org.

Paid for by Yes on 37 For Your Right to Know if Your Food Has Been Genetically Engineered. Supported by Consumer Advocates, Makers of Organic Products and California Farmers. Major funding by Mercola.com Health Resources LLC and the Organic Consumers Fund. FPPC ID No. 1342851.

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SOURCE California Right to Know Campaign