Brandon Turbeville
March 18, 2016
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) was found guilty on Friday, March 11, of violating the “spirit and letter” of the state of Washington’s Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws by attempting to shield the identities of the corporations that dumped millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat a GMO food labeling initiative that was gaining steam across the state.
The guilty verdict was handed down by the Washington Superior court. The case was originally filed in October 2013 by the Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson after the AG’s office became aware of the fact that the GMA was hiding the identities of anti-labeling donor corporations.
According to Ferguson, the GMA raised $14 million dollars from its members for the “Defense of Brands” fund far above and above the dues regularly charged to members. Over the course of the anti-labeling campaign the GMA was the largest single-donor to the “No on 522” initiative, spending $22 million dollars to stop labeling.
Initiative 522 would have required the labeling of GMO food, seeds, and seed products across the state if it had passed. After receiving the $14 million dollars in special solicitations from its members, the GMA donated $11 million of that money to the “No on 522” initiative.
However, instead of listing the money as coming from the corporations who donated it, only the GMA was listed. This was done in order to protect the identities of the individual companies from laws requiring proper disclosure and to effectively allow the GMA to act as the spearhead and the scapegoat for a collective corporate assault on food freedom.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) was found guilty on Friday, March 11, of violating the “spirit and letter” of the state of Washington’s Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws by attempting to shield the identities of the corporations that dumped millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat a GMO food labeling initiative that was gaining steam across the state.
The guilty verdict was handed down by the Washington Superior court. The case was originally filed in October 2013 by the Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson after the AG’s office became aware of the fact that the GMA was hiding the identities of anti-labeling donor corporations.
According to Ferguson, the GMA raised $14 million dollars from its members for the “Defense of Brands” fund far above and above the dues regularly charged to members. Over the course of the anti-labeling campaign the GMA was the largest single-donor to the “No on 522” initiative, spending $22 million dollars to stop labeling.
Initiative 522 would have required the labeling of GMO food, seeds, and seed products across the state if it had passed. After receiving the $14 million dollars in special solicitations from its members, the GMA donated $11 million of that money to the “No on 522” initiative.
However, instead of listing the money as coming from the corporations who donated it, only the GMA was listed. This was done in order to protect the identities of the individual companies from laws requiring proper disclosure and to effectively allow the GMA to act as the spearhead and the scapegoat for a collective corporate assault on food freedom.
