What would Measure 92 do?
This proposed measure would mandate complex and misleading food labeling regulations in Oregon that don’t exist in any other state — hurting local farmers and food producers, and costing Oregon consumers and taxpayers millions.
How would Measure 92 impact Oregon farmers and consumers?
Measure 92 would force farmers and food producers to implement costly new labeling, packaging, distribution and recordkeeping operations or switch to higher-priced organic or non-GMO ingredients in order to sell food in Oregon. These costs would be passed onto Oregon families through higher grocery prices.
Would Measure 92 end up costing taxpayers?
Yes. Measure 92 would create two new state bureaucracies to enforce and implement its costly regulations. The Oregon Department of Administrative Services staff estimated that inspection programs to enforce Measure 92 would cost taxpayers more than $14 million every budget cycle. And Measure 92 doesn’t provide any funding source or set any limit on how much these new bureaucracies would cost taxpayers.
Isn’t there already a nationwide food labeling system in place that already tells consumers which foods are made without GMOs?
Yes. Our existing nationwide labeling systems already allow consumers to choose foods made without GMO ingredients if that’s what they prefer, by choosing foods labeled “organic” or “non-GMO.” Measure 92 conflicts with these existing nationwide standards and would not provide consumers with accurate or reliable information about which foods are made with GMOs and which are not.
Would Measure 92 provide reliable information to consumers about the foods we buy?
No, it would not. Measure 92 fails on its promise to inform consumers about which foods contain or are made with GMO ingredients and which do not. Under its badly written requirements and arbitrary exemptions, many foods would be required to be labeled as “genetically engineered” — even if they’re not. At the same time, thousands of other foods would be exempt from labeling even though they do contain or are made with GMOs. And Measure 92 would not tell consumers which ingredients in a food product are GMO or how much of the product contains GMOs, if any.
So Measure 92 would actually provide inaccurate, unreliable and misleading information to consumers about which foods contain “GMOs” and which do not.
