Colorado Voters Say No to Proposition 105
Washington, D.C. (November 5, 2014) – Colorado voters have decisively rejected Proposition 105, the food labeling initiative on the November 4th ballot. The measure, which would have created Colorado-only food labeling regulations for certain foods made with GMO ingredients, was defeated by a margin of 67 percent to 33 percent.
Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), issued the following statement in response:
“Just like the tens of millions of voters in California in 2012 and Washington State in 2013, Colorado voters see how this proposal would have created more state bureaucracy, imposed new costs and burdens on local farmers and businesses, and increased food prices for hard-working Colorado families.
“While the biotech industry is committed to providing information about how our food is grown, that information needs to be conveyed in an accurate and fact-based way to consumers. Colorado voters clearly believe Prop 105 failed in this regard.
“Modern farming and biotechnology has enabled farmers to grow more food on less land with fewer pesticide applications, less water and reduced on-farm fuel use.
“The GMO labeling discussion deserves a national solution. We will continue to explore policies that provide consumers with information about the foods we eat. In the meantime, non-GMO choices exist in the marketplace, and online resources, such as the GMO Answers website, can answer questions about technology and food production.”