Big Pesticide, Processed Food Companies Spend $10 Million to Fight Honest Food Labels

Big Pesticide, Processed Food Companies Spend $10 Million to Fight Honest Food Labels
Posted by Dave on August 13, 2012

Originally published on California Right to Know.

New campaign finance reports show that pesticide and processed food companies just contributed nearly $10 million to oppose Proposition 37, which would require labeling of genetically engineered foods.

According to the California Secretary of State disclosure forms, the largest of these contributions come from Dupont Pioneer ($2,441,500), Bayer Cropscience ($1,064,000) and BASF Plant Science ($996,500). Other contributions include $500,000 each from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle USA, General Mills and ConAgra.

“These corporations are desperate to keep us from finding out what’s really in our food,” said Stacy Malkan, Media Director for California Right to Know. “They will not prevail. This is America. We have the right to know what’s in the food we eat and feed our children.”

The huge contributions from pesticide companies, now topping $7 million with the new donations, shine light on a little known fact about genetically engineered foods.

“Rather than reducing the need for hazardous pesticides, herbicide-resistant seeds have driven a massive increase in herbicide use that has been linked to significant environmental and public health concerns,” explains Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, PhD, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network, in a statement supporting Proposition 37.

“It’s clear that genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant seeds are the growth engines of the pesticide industry’s sales and marketing strategy. These seeds are part of a technology package explicitly designed to facilitate increased, indiscriminate herbicide use and pump up chemical sales,” said Dr. Ishii-Eiteman.

According to a 2009 report by Chuck Benbrook, PhD, farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides over the first 13 years of commercial GE crop production (1996-2008), as a direct result of planting genetically engineered seeds. “GE crops are pushing pesticide use upward at a rapidly accelerating pace,” wrote Benbrook, chief scientist of the Organic Center, in the report summary.

NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR	CITY	STATE/ZIP	AMOUNT
DUPONT PIONEER	JOHNSTON	IA / 50131	$2,441,500.00
BAYER CROPSCIENCE	RESEARCH TRIANGLE PA	NC / 27709	$1,064,000.00
BASF PLANT SCIENCE	RESEARCH TRIANGLE PA	NC / 27709	$996,500.00
PEPSICO, INC.	PURCHASE	NY / 10577	$500,000.00
NESTLE USA, INC.	GLENDALE	CA / 91203	$500,000.00
GENERAL MILLS, INC.	GOLDEN VALLEY	MN / 55426	$500,000.00
CONAGRA FOODS	OMAHA	NE / 68102	$500,000.00
COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA	ATLANTA	GA / 30313	$500,000.00
SYNGENTA CORPORATION	WASHINGTON	DC / 20005	$498,000.00
THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY	ORRVILLE	OH / 44667	$367,604.16
BIMBO BAKERIES USA	HORSHAM	PA / 19044	$320,516.72
DEL MONTE FOODS COMPANY	SAN FRANCISCO	CA / 94111	$175,574.33
KNOUSE FOODS COOPERATIVE, INC.	PEACH GLEN	PA / 17375	$131,409.01
WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY	CHICAGO	IL / 60610	$116,865.91
HERSHEY COMPANY	HERSHEY	PA / 17033	$102,906.72
MARS FOOD NORTH AMERICA	RANCHO DOMINGUEZ	CA / 90220	$100,242.69
BUMBLE BEE FOODS, LLC	SAN DIEGO	CA / 92123	$98,073.62
HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION	AUSTIN	MN / 55912	$94,380.71
OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRIES, INC.	LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO	MA / 02349	$94,311.63
SUNNY DELIGHT BEVERAGES COMPANY	CINCINNATI	OH / 45242	$93,795.90
SARA LEE CORPORATION	DOWNERS GROVE	IL / 60515	$89,493.16
KELLOGG COMPANY	BATTLE CREEK	MI / 49016	$82,299.57
PINNACLE FOODS GROUP LLC	PARSIPPANY	NJ / 07054	$69,307.71
DEAN FOODS COMPANY	DALLAS	TX / 75204	$66,143.16
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY	CAMDEN	NJ / 08103	$65,114.35
MCCORMICK & COMPANY, INC.	SPARKS	MD / 21152	$64,645.53
SOLAE, LLC	SAINT LOUIS	MO / 63110	$59,214.59
RICH PRODUCTS CORPORATION	BUFFALO	NY / 14213	$58,070.74
CARGILL, INC.	WAYZATA	MN / 55391	$52,069.51
MCCAIN FOODS USA, INC.	LISLE	IL / 60532	$50,592.94
DOLE PACKAGED FOODS COMPANY	WESTLAKE VILLAGE	CA / 91362	$45,580.05
C. H. GUENTHER & SON, INC.	SAN ANTONIO	TX / 78291	$23,401.61
LAND O'LAKES, INC.	ARDEN HILLS	MN / 55126	$21,513.78
HERO NORTH AMERICA	AMSTERDAM	NY / 12010	$21,044.96
GODIVA CHOCOLATIER, INC.	NEW YORK	NY / 10017	$11,121.53
MORTON SALT	CHICAGO	IL / 60606	$5,396.06

Total			$9,980,690.65