The initiative petition would require all foods containing genetically modified organisms sold in Oregon to carry labels informing consumers. If a vegetable variety was created by transferring genes from one species to another, a label approved by the state agriculture department would have to list the types of genetic material used. Genetically altered tomatoes, including a variety that contains fish genes, as well as bioengineered potatoes, squash, corn, and other produce are already on store shelves. The proposed labeling would also include dairy and meat products taken from livestock fed genetically engineered feed or feed additives. Agriculture industry observers say they had expected someone to push for a law to require labeling of genetically modified foods in Oregon.
Similar attempts are under way in several other states.
In Europe and Japan, the controversy has reached a fevered pitch. Steurer is an alternative health-care educator who in 1998 ran for Oregon governor with the Natural Law Party, a political organization opposed to the use of genetically modified organism in agriculture. Critics of bioengineered foods assert that too little is known about their effects on the environment and human health. They point to examples such as Monarch butterflies that sicken and die after being exposed to pollen from plants modified for pest resistance. Farmers and seed producers maintain the bioengineered plants produce better crops and, in some cases, may reduce reliance on pesticides.