Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/446396
ByMaryClareJalonick The Associated Press WASHINGTON Alargema- jority of Americans support labeling of genetically mod- ified foods, whether they care about eating them or not. According to a December Associated Press-GfK poll, 66 percent of Americans favor requiring food man- ufacturers to put labels on products that contain ge- netically modified organ- isms, or foods grown from seeds engineered in labs. Only 7 percent are opposed to the idea, and 24 percent are neutral. Fewer Americans say ge- netically modified ingredi- ents are important to them when judging whether a food is healthy. About 4 in 10 said the presence of such ingredients was very or ex- tremely important to them. That's higher than the share who say it's important to know whether a food is organic, and about on par with the share saying they consider the amount of pro- tein in a food an important factor. For some, the debate over GMOs is about the food sys- tem overall. Andrew Chan of Seattle said he strongly favors labeling genetically modified ingredients, but those ingredients them- selves aren't most impor- tant to him. As a parent, he said his top concern is the abundance of processed foods. "GMO ingredients aren't the number one thing, but more than likely within a processed food I'd find something that is a ge- netically modified product," said Chan, 41. Genetically modified seeds are engineered to have certain traits, such as resistance to herbicides or certain plant diseases. Most of the country's corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified, with much of that becoming ani- mal feed. Modified corn and soybeans are also made into popular processed food in- gredients such as corn oil, corn starch, high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't require labeling of genetically modified foods, saying those on the mar- ket are safe. Consumer ad- vocates backing labeling say shoppers have a right to know what is in their food, arguing not enough is known about their effects. The AP-GfK poll comes as several states have weighed in on the issue. Vermont became the first state to require labels for genetically modified foods last year, passing a law in May that will take effect mid-2016 if it survives legal challenges. Maine and Con- necticut passed laws before Vermont, but those mea- sures don't take effect un- less neighboring states fol- low suit. Ballot initiatives to require labeling were nar- rowly defeated in Califor- nia, Washington and Ore- gon in recent years. The food industry and seed companies have ag- gressively fought attempts to force labeling, and have pushed a bill in Congress that would block those ef- forts. The bill by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, would reaffirm that such food la- bels are voluntary, overrid- ing any state laws that re- quire them. In a December congres- sional hearing on the is- sue, members of both par- ties were less inclined than the public to support la- beling. Many questioned whether mandatory GMO labels would be misleading to consumers since there is little scientific evidence that such foods are unsafe. According to the AP-GfK poll, public support for la- beling GMOs was bipar- tisan, with 71 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans favoring la- beling. Even among conser- vative Republicans, more than 6 in 10 favor a label- ing requirement. Jay Jaffe, a Republican from Philadelphia, says he strongly favors label- ing even though he has no problem buying GMOs. "If they are cheaper and they taste right to me, I'll buy it," he says. Still, he thinks there should be accountability in the food industry. "It should be there and not in small print," he said of GMO la- bels. LARGE MAJORITY Poll:anappetiteforlabeling genetically modified foods BRENNANLINSLEY—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE A grocery store employee wipes down a soup bar with a display informing customers of organic, GMO-free oils, in Boulder, Colo. By Larry O'Dell The Associated Press RICHMOND, VA. The writ- ers of TV's "Scandal" would be hard-pressed to invent a client more difficult than "Fighting Joe" Morrissey, who campaigned from jail for Tuesday's special elec- tion to fill the same seat he's resigning from in disgrace. Through four elections, most voters have overlooked or even embraced flamboy- ant Virginia lawmaker Jo- seph D. Morrissey's his- tory of fistfights, contempt of court citations and dis- barment. The 57-year-old bachelor, who has fathered three children out of wed- lock with three different women, repeatedly won at least 70 percent of the vote. But would voters be OK with his conviction in a sex scandal involving his 17-year-old secretary, whose nude photo was found on his cellphone and alleg- edly shared with a friend? Would they mind that the young woman — who de- nies they had sex — is now pregnant? Virginians were watch- ing in suspense until polls closed Tuesday at 7 p.m., as up to 53,000 voters cast bal- lots in a three-way race for the seat Morrissey was sup- posed to be vacating. Morrissey, who claimed his phone was hacked and denies any wrongdo- ing, has made a career of never backing down, hang- ing boxing gloves in his of- fice and promising "Joe will fight for you" in cam- paign ads on city buses. At one point, the liberal Dem- ocrat waved an assault ri- fle inside the House cham- ber while arguing for gun control. He resigned his seat — ef- fective Tuesday, the day of this special election against Democrat Kevin Sullivan and Republican Matt Wal- ton — after he was con- victed last month of con- tributing to the delinquency of a minor. His agreement to serve six months in jail for the misdemeanor avoided a felony trial that could have barred him from office and put him in prison for years. That might be enough punishment for most pol- iticians, but Morrissey wouldn't give up, quitting his party to run as an inde- pendent to keep the Rich- mond-area House of Dele- gates seat. Legislators from both parties denounced him as unfit to serve and began studying how to ex- pel him if he wins. House Clerk G. Paul Nardo said it takes two- thirds of the 100-mem- ber House to expel a mem- ber, which hasn't happened since 1876. The Virginia Constitution says a legis- lator can be kicked out for disorderly behavior, but does not define it. "Mr. Morrissey's decision to run in this election is de- ceitful, selfish and disre- spectful to this institution and the people he suppos- edly desires to serve," said House Speaker William J. Howell, a Republican. House Democratic Mi- nority Leader David J. To- scano called it "both outra- geous and sad." But Morrissey says the people, not politicians, should decide who repre- sents them. And his staunchest de- fender is Myrna Pride, now 18, who went public this month with her side of the story. The Associated Press does not usually identify victims of sex crimes, but Myrna Pride's name has be- come well known in the dis- trict since she was named in Morrissey's criminal case. She denies they had sex — while declining to identify the father of her unborn baby — and she publicly de- fended Morrissey on Mon- day in a radio interview. Richmond radio host Jack Gravely was inter- viewing Coleman Pride on WLEE about his daugh- ter's relationship with Mor- rissey when the lawmaker called in to defend himself. Myrna Pride then showed up in person, accusing her father and others of manu- facturing the entire scandal to get back at Morrissey for his help in a dispute over her father's child support. Morrissey's role in the family's dispute reportedly prompted police to serve a search warrant of his office Monday afternoon, with only hours to go before the voting started, which Mor- rissey called a political dirty trick. 'FIGHTING JOE' Virginians vote on jailed lawmaker's bid to keep his seat MARK GORMU — RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH Candidates Joe Morrissey and Matt Walton appear Sunday during the Richmond Crusade for Voters, Inc. 74th District forum at Hobson Lodge in Richmond, Va. Morrissey resigned his seat under fire late last year a er pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge involving a sex scandal with an under-aged girl working at his law office. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B