The US-based Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has called for a national boycott of organic and natural brands whose parent companies made donations to defeat ‘Prop 37’ – the California state initiative to secure mandatory labelling of GMOs in food products.
Proposition 37 was narrowly defeated (53% of Californians voted No to the initiative, 47% Yes) after major biotech companies and food conglomerates poured $47 million into the NO campaign.
Now the OCA is calling for consumers and public bodies to boycott brands like Tropicana Organic (brand owner Pepsi), Back To Nature (Kraft), O Organics (Safeway) and Honest Tea (Coca Cola) whose parent companies helped fund the No campaign.
“Among the largest bankrollers of the ‘NO on 37’ campaign were huge multinational food and beverage companies whose subsidiaries make billions selling popular organic and ‘natural’ brands,” said Ronnie Cummins, director of the OCA and the Organic Consumers Fund, which donated more than $1 million to the ‘YES on 37’ campaign. “It’s time to send these companies a message: Either start supporting GMO labeling initiatives, including the upcoming one in Washington State, or consumers will stop buying your products.”
