The next time you take a swig of Odwalla's Organic Carrot Juice, or munch on a bowl of Orville Redenbacher's Organic popcorn, take note: A lot of popular organic and all-natural brands are made by companies that are spending thousands of dollars to defeat Proposition 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.

Donations are pouring into the campaign to defeat Prop 37. Among the big donors are companies like J.M. Smucker, Hormel Foods, Kellogg Co., Coca-Cola North America and PepsiCo. – companies that make a fortune marketing 'natural' and organic brands with slogans like "We're good to the earth."

All of these companies are members of the powerful Washington, DC-based Grocery Manufacturer's Association (GMA), a multi-billion-dollar trade association which represents America's $1.2 trillion "Big Food" industry. The GMA itself has already pitched in $375,000 to the anti-labeling campaign. And it's still early in the game.

The GMA has more than 300 dues-paying members,  many of whom are purveyors of popular 'natural' and organic brands. These companies have either developed or acquired those brands in order to tap into the growing market for organic and "natural" foods: Annual sales of "natural" food products are estimated at $50 billion, organic at $30 billion.

We assume all GMA members oppose Prop 37, or they wouldn't approve GMA's hefty donations to the anti-labeling campaign. Those members include Starbucks, which sells a number of organic coffee brands, and Kraft, maker of Boca Burgers. Safeway, Inc. is also a member of GMA. The supermarket chain pockets annual sales of $400 million from its store-owned  O-Organics brand. You would think a company that markets "Ingredients for Life"   might stand up in favor of no GMO ingredients?

Safeway is an assumption, but when it comes to a long list of other GMA members, no assumptions are necessary. Here's a list of food companies, all GMA members, and all marketers of "natural" and organic brands, who have directly donated to the campaign against GMO labeling – over and above the $375,000 the GMA has contributed on behalf of all its members.
 

COMPANY	DONATION	ORGANIC/NATURAL BRANDS
Pepsi-Co	$1,716,300	Tostito's Organic Tropicana Organic Naked Juice
Coca-Cola	$1,164,400	Odwalla Honest Tea
ConAgra	$1,076,700	Orville Redenbacher's Organic Hunt's Organic Alexia Foods Lightlife
Kellogg's	$632,500	Keebler Organic Kellogg's Organic Bear Naked Kashi Morningstar Farms Wholesome & Hearty
J.M Smucker	$388,000	Santa Cruz Organics Smucker's Organic Peanut Butter R.W. Knudsen Natural Brew Tenderleaf Tea
Hormel Foods	$374,300	Natural Choice
General Mills	$519,401	Small Planet Foods Cascadian Farm Muir Glen Gold Medal Organic Larabar
Bimbo Bakeries*	$338,300	Earth Grains
DelMonte	$189,975	DelMonte brand organic pickles DelMonte brand organic canned tomato products Fruit Naturals
Hershey	$395,100	Dagoba
Dean Foods	$253,950	White Wave/Silk Horizon Organic Cow of Vermont
Campbell Soup Co.	$70,455	V8 Organic Prego Organic Swanson's Organic Pace Organic Campbell's Organic Bolthouse Farms
McCormick	$248,200	McCormick Organic Spices

 

*Bimbo Bakeries also donated an additional $96,833 through its Sara Lee subsidiary.