Washington's GMO labeling Initiative 522 won't add any extra cost to foods, say researchers

Sunday, October 13, 2013 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: GMO labeling, I-522, food costs

(NaturalNews) Only a few weeks remain until voters in Washington state have the opportunity to make history by electing to mandate that GMOs (genetically modified organisms) be labeled at the retail level throughout their state. But just like it did in California with Proposition 37, the pro-GMO lobby is busy spreading lies during the final hour about how GMO labeling will supposedly increase food costs for consumers, an egregious claim that a prominent researcher from Emory University in Georgia, not to mention common sense, says is completely and utterly false.

The Alliance for Natural Health - USA (ANH-USA) reports that the results of a recent study conducted by Dr. Joanna M. Shepherd-Bailey, Ph.D., confirm that GMO labeling will not result in higher food costs, as claimed by the opposition. Food companies redesign their labels all the time, she says, which means adding a caveat about GMOs is really no big deal. Additionally, it would cost food companies more money to adjust their prices in response to GMO labeling than it would to just leave things alone.

Prepared specifically for Washington State Initiative 522, Dr. Shepherd-Bailey's study shoots down every unfounded myth being spread by the deceptive No on 522 campaign. Not only are the pro-GMO lobby's repeated claims about rising food costs preposterous, but its entire premise that GMO labeling is somehow "bad" for consumers is completely nonsensical. Countries all over the world, including throughout Europe, have successfully implemented GMO labeling with no consequences whatsoever for consumers, and the same thing can happen here in the U.S.

But the No on 522 campaign is playing dirty, attempting to trick as many Washingtonians as possible into rejecting an initiative that only stands to benefit them and their families by requiring food companies to improve labeling transparency. As it currently stands, Americans living in all 50 states are being intentionally left in the dark about GMOs, which means there is no way for the general public to make informed purchasing decisions about the foods they buy.

"Consumers will see no increase in prices as a result of the relabeling required by Initiative 522," explains Dr. Shepherd-Bailey in her report. "[In an] improbable, worst-case scenario in Washington... price increases as a result of Initiative 522 -- across all products, for one year only -- amount to a mere $2.20 per person."

GMO labeling is a no-brainer; the people have everything to gain and nothing to lose

The reason why this minimal, one-time-only, worst-case scenario cost will most likely not end up becoming a reality, she says, is because virtually all labeling changes required by I-522 will more than likely happen as part of routine packaging and labeling updates. And even if added costs are incurred by food producers, they would be hard-pressed to ever pass these on to consumers and risk losing their competitive edge.

The No on 522 campaign has its own studies that claim the opposite, of course, citing figures upwards of $400 per year, per family, in added food costs as a consequence of labeling. But these figures and the studies they came from are seriously flawed, say experts, as they look at a completely different aspect of the labeling equation, and one that the food industry rarely discusses publicly -- voluntary product reformulation.

You see, the food industry banks heavily on withholding the truth about GMOs from the public. If they end up having to label GMOs as a result of I-522, some food manufacturers could opt to reformulate their products to avoid massive consumer backlash against GMOs, but that is their choice. This is the linchpin in this whole debate and the reason why the food industry is so adamant about defeating I-522 -- the entire GMO scam will be exposed if mandatory GMO labeling becomes law, and deceitful food companies will have to either remove GMOs to avoid labeling or else risk losing considerable business.

The choice is clear. The people of Washington state have everything to gain from the passage of I-522 and absolutely nothing to lose.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.theolympian.com

http://www.anh-usa.org

http://www.anh-usa.org/gmo

http://science.naturalnews.com