Although turnout should be quite low, political action groups around Washington state are gearing up for a fight surrounding a food-labeling initiative slated to be on November's ballot.
Initiative 522, also known as “The People's Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act”, “would require most raw agricultural commodities, processed foods, seeds and seed stocks, if produced using genetic engineering as defined, to be labeled as genetically engineered when offered for retail sale,” according to a news release from Brian Zylstra, spokesman for secretary of state office.
I-522 turned in 353,153 signatures with an error rate of 17.02 percent, which is “slightly less than the historic average.”
Now that the initiative has been certified and will be on the ballot, its campaign is organizing events to bring awareness to the community. Michelle Kim, field organizer for Food & Water Watch Spokane is inviting everyone to come to a Day of Action outside of Main Market Co-op (44 W. Main Ave.) to learn more about the initiative.