JOC Staff | Nov 16, 2012 9:24AM EST
A measure on the Nov. 6 ballot in California that would have required labeling of foods that contained any bio-engineered plants or animals was defeated in statewide voting.
By 53.1 percent to 46.9 percent, voters defeated Proposition 37, a ballot measure that would have made California the first state to require such labels on some fresh produce and processed foods, such as corn, soybeans and beet sugar, whose DNA has been altered by scientists.
The California secretary of state said in the official ballot text explanation that, if passed, state regulatory costs on labeling would have risen from several hundred thousand dollars to well more than $1 million. In addition, opponents of the measure said it would increase food costs by about $400 a person in the state.
Despite losing the initiatives by about 500,000 votes, proponents of the labeling vowed to continue the fight in California and other states. The effect of the proposal on imported and exported foods was a source of contention.
