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Farm and food groups are worried about increased production costs and loss of consumer confidence if Oregon voters approve a law requiring labels for all food products made with biotech ingredients.
On Nov. 5, Oregon voters will be the first in the nation to weigh in on the controversial issue of labeling biotech foods.
Supporters of labeling say consumers have a right to know what type of foods they are eating. Opponents say biotech foods are just as safe as conventional foods and labeling them would be very costly to producers.
"The Oregon initiative would be a real set back for food processing and for U.S. agriculture," said Doug Getter, executive director for Iowa Biotechnology Association.
Getter said approximately 70 percent of processed foods in grocery stores contain some element of genetically modified (GM) ingredients. The expense to label these products would be significant, he said.
"Food processors are truly international in scope now. To do something different for one single state would be really kind of illogical because of the breadth and size of the food processing industry today," he said.
The Oregon initiative would require labels on any foods or animal feeds that are made or produced with genetically engineered ingredients. This would include processed foods containing soy or corn, as well as meat and dairy products from animals that eat biotech feed. The labels would specify the source of genes that were added to the biotech crops.
"We're concerned because this law goes above and beyond anything we've seen to date," said Stephanie Childs, manager of public policy and communications for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) in Washington D.C.
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