Voters Defeat Prop. 37 Aimed At Labeling GM Foods

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Voters rejected a ballot measure that would have made California the first U.S. state to label processed foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.

Proposition 37 would have required the California Department of Public Health to label genetically engineered foods on anywhere between 40 percent to 70 percent of all food products sold in grocery stores throughout the state.

The measure was defeated by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent, according to the California Secretary of State's official tally.

Some of the nation's biggest agribusiness producers including Monsanto, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola spent upward of $46 million fighting the measure.

Retailers would have received exemptions by proving that any products in question are not genetically engineered.

The measure would also have increased costs by as much as $1 million annually to the state Department of Public Health.