High stakes battle over Washington State food labeling initiative
A Thurston County judge has dismissed a lawsuit by supporters of Initiative 522, which charged that the Grocery Manufacturers Association violated state disclosure laws by laundering money for big corporate interests that oppose the food labeling measure on Washington’s November ballot.
The No-on-522 campaign counterattacked using a state “SLAPP ” law — Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation — designed to protect citizen groups. Judge Chris Wickham hit Moms for Labeling, plaintiffs in the lawsuit, with a $10,000 fine plus attorneys’ fees.
Opponents of Initiative 522, the food labeling measure, have raised $171 million from agribusiness and the Grocery Manufacturers Assn. Supporters have raised $4.6 million, with help from Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. But the battle over who is putting up the $17.1 million anti-522 war chest is not over.
The measure would require labeling of genetically modified foods, seeds and seed products sold in Washington stores. It has drawn furious opposition from agribusiness and major food companies, which spent $46 million to narrowly defeat a similar measure last year in California.
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Agribusiness is big in the No-on-522 effort — Montsanto has given $4 million — but the food companies’ names have vanished from this year’s campaign. The Grocery Manufacturers Association has, however, made donations of $472,000, $1.75 million, and — this week — $5 million to the No-on-522 campaign. The GMA is the chief lobby group for major food producers
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http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/10/04/corporate-laundering-suit-dismissed-for-now/
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