Companies would be required to label food products made from genetically engineered crops under a Washington state initiative submitted Thursday by the proposal's sponsors.
Sponsors of the initiative delivered 350,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office inside an ambulance with a sign reading "Label GMO Food" on the side.
Initiative 522 would require food and seeds produced entirely or partly through genetic engineering and sold in Washington to be labeled as such, effective July 1, 2015. Under the measure, raw foods that are not packaged separately would have to be labeled on the retail shelf.
The proposal comes two months after California voters rejected a similar ballot measure in a nearly $55 million advertising war that pitted food safety advocates against agricultural and biotechnology giants. Supporters argued consumers should have a choice of whether or not to eat genetically engineered products, even though the government and major science groups say such foods are safe to eat. Opponents argued the proposal would raise food prices and hurt farmers.
