Labeling Opponents

Who are the companies fighting our right to know?

Transparency is our right. Yet a handful of companies, such as Monsanto, Kraft, Kellogg’s and General Mills, have gotten away with hiding important information about our food for nearly two decades.

In November of 2012, some of America’s biggest and most profitable chemical companies teamed up with a handful of large food companies to spend more than $45 million in an advertising blitz to stop Prop 37, an initiative to require labeling of genetically modified foods. In 2013, the same companies raised millions to try to defeat a similar initiative in Washington state. In 2014, they were pouring money into anti-GMO labeling ballot campaigns in both Oregon and Colorado.

For these companies, a defeat of labeling supports their interests, not the consumers. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) – Big Food’s national lobby group –called defeating Prop 37 “the single highest priority for GMA” in 2012, and has poured millions into defeating Washington state’s initiative. While claiming their products are safe and that biotechnology is beneficial, they are emptying their pockets to fight a simple label. What is there to hide?

Polling shows overwhelming public support for labeling of genetically modified foods, yet the same food and chemical companies continue to ignore consumers fight our right to know every chance they get.

This will continue to be a David vs. Goliath battle, an unequal fight between the American consumer and corporate money. It’s time to call out these companies, and demand that support the consumer’s right to transparency.

Full List of Right To Know Opponents No. Donor No On 37 No on 522 No on 92 No on 105 1 Monsanto Co. $8,112,867 $5,374,411 $5,958,750 $4,755,878 2 Dupont $5,400,000 $3,880,159 $4,928,150 $3,000,000 3 PepsiCo $2,485,400 $2,352,966 $2,350,000 $1,650,000 4 Grocery Manufacturers Association $2,002,000 $11,000,000** $169,190 $106,600 5 Kraft Foods $2,000,500 - $870,000 $1,030,000 6 BASF Plant Science $2,000,000 $500,000 - - 7 Bayer CropScience $2,000,000 $591,654 - - 8 DOW Agrosciences $2,000,000 $591,654 $1,157,150 $306,500 9 Syngenta Corporation $2,000,000 - - - 10 Coca-Cola North America $1,690,500 $1,520,351 $1,170,000 $1,108,000 11 Nestle USA $1,461,600 $1,528,206 - - 12 General Mills $1,230,300 $869,271 $695,000 $820,000 13 ConAgra Foods $1,176,700 $828,251 $350,000 $250,000 14 Kellogg's Company $790,700 $322,050 $500,000 250,000 15 Smithfield Foods $683,900 - - $250,000 16 Delmonte Foods $674,100 $125,677 - - 17 Campbell Soup Company $598,000 $384,888 - - 18 Smucker Company $555,000 $349,978 $295,000 $345,000 19 Hershey Company $518,900 $360,450 $320,000 $380,000 20 Biotechnology Industry Organization $502,000 - 11,200 $108,000 21 Heinz Company $500,000 - - - 22 Mars Inc. $498,350 - - - 23 Hormel Foods $467,900 $76,803 $85,000 85,000 24 Unilever $467,100 - - - 25 Bimbo Bakeries $422,900 $137,460 $230,000 270,000 26 Bumble Bee Foods $420,600 $52,365 $45,000 $50,000 27 Ocean Spray Cranberries $409,100 $80,295 $35,000 80,000 28 Council for Biotechnology Information $375,000 - $12,827 - 29 Sara Lee Corporation $343,600 - - - 30 Abbott Nutrition $334,500 $185,025 $160,000 $190,000 31 Pinnacle Foods Group $266,100 $175,425 - - 32 Dean Foods $253,950 $174,553 - - 33 Cargill $250,000 $143,133 $111,000 $135,000 34 Bunge North America $248,600 $137,896 - - 35 Rich Products Corporation $248,300 $34,911 $30,000 - 36 McCormick & Company $248,200 $148,369 $130,000 - 37 Flowers Foods $182,100 $205,099 - $250,000 38 Mondelez International $181,000 $210,336 $720,000 - 39 Dole Packaged Foods $175,000 - - - 40 Knouse Foods $167,600 $20,946 $20,000 $25,000 41 Welch Foods $167,000 $41,893 $30,000 $35,000 42 Land O'Lakes $153,300 $144,878 $760,000 $900,000 43 Sunny Delight Beverages $139,700 $30,547 $25,000 $25,000 44 Wrigley Jr. Company $123,350 - - - 45 Tree Top Inc. $110,600 - - - 46 Clement Pappas & Co. $100,000 $30,547 - - 47 Hilshire Brands Company $85,900 $282,775 - - 48 Hero North America $80,800 - - - 49 Mead Johnson Nutrition Company $80,000 - $50,000 $50,000 50 Faribault Foods $76,000 - - - 51 Solae Inc. $62,500 - - - 52 Goya Foods $56,700 - - - 53 McCain Foods USA $53,400 - - - 54 Godiva Chocolatier $42,700 - - - 55 B&G Foods $40,000 - - - 56 Clorox Company $39,700 $17,455 - - 57 Bruce Foods $38,500 $4,364 - - 58 C.H. Guenther & Son $24,700 - - - 59 Morton Salt $21,400 - - - 60 Reily Foods Company $18,400 - - - 61 Inventure Foods $15,600 - - - 62 Hirzel Canning Company $15,000 - - - 63 Idahoan Foods $10,000 - - - 64 Sargento Foods $10,000 - - - 65 Snack Foods Association $10,000 - - - 66 Shearer's Foods - $36,656 $30,000 $35,000 67 Niagara Bottling - - - $10,000 68 Michael Foods - - $30,000 -

**GMA member donations included in list