Response to Today’s State Supreme Court Ruling May 8, 2014
Oregon Right to Know Issues Statement in Response to Today’s State Supreme Court Ruling Allowing Initiative Requiring Labeling of Foods Containing Genetically Modified Organisms to Move Forward
Portland, OR - Oregon Right to Know, which supports placing a statewide ballot measure on the November ballot to require labeling of foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), issued the following statement in response to today’s state Supreme Court ruling allowing the initiative effort to move forward:
“Today’s Oregon Supreme Court decision to allow our GMO labeling initiative to go to the ballot is a huge win for families across Oregon. Oregonians have always cared about what we grow, the fish in our streams and the food we eat. It is who we are. And we want to make informed choices about what we feed our families. That includes knowing whether or not that food contains genetically modified organisms.
“That’s why the Right to Know campaign intends to bring this statewide ballot initiative to Oregon voters. Congress and the federal government might not be able to stand up to the special interests and take action to give consumers the information they need, but voters in Oregon can. Right now, 64 countries, including most of Europe and Japan require US manufacturers to provide the same labels as we are asking for in Oregon. If American companies can do it for the rest of the world, they should do it here at home, too.
“We know the big chemical companies that create genetically modified organisms are gearing up to spend millions to block Oregonians from getting the information we deserve. We are confident that Oregon voters will not be fooled. Foods containing genetically modified organisms should be labeled and big conglomerates should not be able to stop Oregonians from getting basic information about the food we eat.
“Over the next few days we will be making decisions on our next steps and we expect to make a major announcement about the campaign next week.”
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