Denver, CO—Another GMO labeling ballot initiative will be put to a popular vote, thanks to a successful signature campaign in Colorado. Supporters of Proposition 105 to label genetically modified foods gathered almost 125,000 valid signatures, almost 40,000 more than required, and submitted them to the Colorado Secretary of State. Voters will now decide whether they want a GMO labeling law on this year’s Election Day, November 4.

If passed, Proposition 105 will require foods modified or treated with genetically modified materials to include “Produced With Genetic Engineering” on the label by July 1, 2016. Right to Know Colorado, the group behind the initiative, cites the same reasons for the movement as activists in other states. “If GMOs are safe, as companies say, then why not label them on food? Coloradans should not be left in the dark about what they are feeding their families,” said Right to Know’s campaign Chair Larry Cooper. Previous ballot initiatives in the states of Washington and California have reached a vote but failed to pass.

Earlier this year, Vermont became the first state to pass a GMO labeling law in any form, doing so through its legislature rather than a ballot initiative. Oregon will also have a GMO labeling law on its statewide ballot in November.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, October 2014 (online 9/2/14)