No on 37’s fraudulent campaign

Whether you agreed or disagreed with Proposition 37 (labeling genetically engineered foods), you may be missing the bigger picture: California voters are victims of fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud.

The No on Prop. 37 coalition (majority funded by Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, etc.), aka NoProp37.com, has blatantly included misleading, untrue and fraudulent information concerning Proposition 37 in the official Voter Information Guide that was sent to approximately 11 million registered voters.

Fraud was also committed in mailed advertising and television advertising. These frauds were perpetrated by knowingly using false and misrepresented claims, to wit:

1. That the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says such a labeling policy would “be inherently misleading” (page 57 of the official Voter Information Guide). In fact, “The FDA has not made such statements with respect to Prop. 37,” writes FDA spokeswoman Morgan Liscinsky in an email. “We cannot speculate on Prop. 37 and have no comments at this time.”

2. Identifying Dr. Henry I. Miller as founding director, Office of Biotechnology of the Food & Drug Administration, and as a professor at Stanford University. Dr. Miller in fact does not work for the FDA in any capacity, nor is he a professor at Stanford University.

3. Including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in a group of four organizations stating that biotech foods are safe. Registered dietitian Ethan A. Bergman, president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said, “We are concerned that California’s voters are being misled to believe the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals is against Proposition 37, when, in fact, the Academy does not have a position on the issue.”

Unfortunately the damage was done, as millions of California voters were exposed to these lies, making it easy to assume that the FDA and those accredited institutions were opposed to Prop. 37, which I believe unfairly influenced the vote.

It’s irrelevant whether Prop. 37 won or lost. The real issue is whether several state and federal laws have been broken. The No on Prop 37 coalition should be prosecuted and, if found guilty, fined. If state and federal lawmakers do not take the initiative, then it will be up to the people of California to start a class-action lawsuit and prosecute these fraudsters. If they’re allowed to go unpunished, not only Californians, but all citizens of the United States, would have to worry about their civil and criminal rights.