A referendum vote on a proposition (“Proposition 37”) to make labelling of genetically modified food compulsory was defeated this week with 53 per cent of Californians voting against GM labelling.

The defeat means that Californian laws will not conflict with the policy of the US Food and Drug Administration not to label GM foods.

The “California Right to Know – Yes on Proposition 37” campaign argued that Americans had the right to make “an informed decision” about the food they eat.

Proponents claim they lost because the “yes” campaign had not sufficiently explained the law they wanted to pass. Others have blamed strong financial backing of the “no” campaign. The “yes” campaign relied heavily on social media, while it is reported that the “no” campaign spent $46 Million in advertising around California.

According to various reports, Monsanto contributed substantially to the “no” campaign, alleged to have spent $8.1 Million dollars to rule out GM food labelling. DuPont, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods and Coca-Cola are also said to have been heavily involved in financial contributions for the “no” campaign.

Mercola.Com Health Resources and Kent Whealy contributed $1.1 Million and $1 Million dollars respectively towards the “yes” campaign.

The Proposition 37 initiative received a large amount of media attention as many large health food companies and food producers were pitted against traditional farmers and big brand food companies.

Although Proposition 37 was not passed, supporters of the initiative have reported that a similar ballot initiative is underway in Washington. Supporters have also said that they will fight on along more avenues, and that they will maintain a petition to the federal Food and Drug Administration regarding the issue of labelling.

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