Food Democracy Action was fined more than $320,000 for campaign finance violations regarding the group’s support of a ballot measure in Washington state to require GMO Labeling. Farm Journal’s AgWeb reports the Iowa-based group must also pay the state’s legal fees and trial costs. The fine was issued Monday against the organization. The fines follow $18 million in civil penalties against the Grocery Manufacturers Association because judges say the group concealed the sources of $11 million in campaign contributions. The Washington state attorney general says Food Democracy Action collected almost $300,000 from its supporters and transferred $200,000 of that to support Initiative 522, but didn’t register its political action committee or identify its 3,100 donors until after the election. The initiative later failed.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.