WASHINGTON — Based on early reports, voters in the state of Washington may have rejected I-522, an initiative to require labeling for food and beverage products that use bioengineered ingredients, but officials have not declared the final results.
As of late Nov. 5, the vote was 54.8% against labeling and 45.2% in favor.
If the initiative had passed, Washington would be the first state to implement labeling of bioengineered foods.
Opponents argued that passing the measure would lead to higher food prices. According to reports, the “No on 522” campaign raised a state-record $22 million, nearly tripling the amount of money that a campaign in favor of the initiative raised. The top five contributors to the “No on 522” campaign are the Grocery Manufacturers Association against I-522, Monsanto Co., DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences, L.L.C. and Bayer CropScience.
