CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION THIRTY SEVEN: IMPLICATIONS FOR GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD LABELING POLICY

Howard G Ling

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Joseph P. Lakatos

Western Carolina University

ABSTRACT

Foods derived from genetically modified (GM) crops include fruits, vegetables and

grains and are the result of a process by which foreign genes are spliced into a related or non-

related species resulting in a genetically modified organism. GM modified foods have been a part

of the food chain in the United States for more than a decade while incurring little of the

controversy exhibited in European countries. Paralleling this divergence in consumer attitudes

are differences in national policies regarding labeling of GM foods. The countries of the

European Union and others have adopted a policy of mandatory labeling of GM food content

while the United States has followed a policy of voluntary disclosure. California Proposition thirty

seven called for the implementation of mandatory labeling of GM foods within the state and has

major implications regarding policy in the rest of the United States.

This study examines the literature regarding national policies toward GM food labeling

in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and other economies and is followed by a

discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of GM labeling policies that has been developed

in this research stream. The results of the recent election in California are presented and the

implications for policy changes in the United States are explored.