Grocer tries to stifle signature gatherers’ efforts on GMO-labeling
petition
By
Tom Gascoyne
tomg@newsreview.com
Professional signature gatherer Nicolas
Guillermo has come to town from the Bay Area to gather
signatures, including for the petition to put a measure on the
ballot that would require the labeling of food products that
contain genetically modified organisms.
PHOTO BY TOM GASCOYNE
The fine print:
More than 50 countries currently have
prohibitions or bans on genetically modified organisms. The
United States and Canada do not; nor do those countries require
the labeling of food products that contain GMOs.
This article was published on
04.12.12.
Signature gatherers hoping to qualify an initiative that would
require the labeling of food containing genetically modified
organisms have reported confrontations with the managers of local
Safeway supermarkets.
Chicoan Pamm Larry, who’s been traveling the state to organize the
effort, said a local organizer reported last month that the manager
of the East Avenue Safeway “blasted her, was very rude and told her
if she were seen anywhere near the store he would call the police.”
That was after Amanda Bosschart had filled out permission forms and
received the go-ahead from the manager to place volunteer
signature-gatherers in front of the store for the next 18 days.
But on the first day, seven hours into the effort, an assistant
manager approached a volunteer named Marirose Dunbar and said she
had to go, that she wasn’t allowed to be there.
“We had applied and they gave us approval, but all of a sudden the
manager is telling us that the corporate office is telling them to
get us off the property,” Bosschart said. “They were really clear
that we were not allowed on the property. Apparently, Safeway owns
that shopping center.”
Over at the Safeway on Mangrove, signature gatherers also met some
resistance.
Nicolas Guillermo, a petitioner from the Bay Area pushing a stack of
state measures, including the GMO petition, said he was approached
by the store’s manager on Friday, April 6, and told to disperse.
Ready for such a challenge, he pulled out some documents reflecting
state law to show that he was legally entitled to gather signatures
at such a venue.
The next day a sign appeared on the sidewalk near where Guillermo
was working. It reads: “Valued Customers. Solicitors or petitioners
are here without our permission. To encourage them to leave, please
do not contribute money or sign petitions. Thank you, Store
Management.”
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the law states a
store like Safeway “can do a requirement for reasonable time, place
and activity restrictions” when it comes to signature-gatherers
soliciting customers.
“If it goes to court, then it’s up to the judge to decide if it is
reasonable,” Ramsey said. “If they camp out right in front of the
door, impeding people coming in, or a say a sign twirler doing his
thing just to the side of the door endangering small kids who risk
getting cut with the propeller-like twirling, well then that’s
another thing.”
But generally, Ramsey said, a shopping center is considered a town
hall or town square where people come and go, and is open to the
public.
Art Campion, the manager of the Mangrove Safeway, said he could not
comment on the matter and referred all inquiries to corporate
headquarters; more specifically NorCal Public Affairs.
A woman named Patty at the NorCal Public Affairs number directed
questions to an email address for Wendy Gutshall, the office’s
manager of public and government affairs. A response to the CN&R’s
email was not received by deadline.
For her part, Larry is leading volunteers across the state looking
to collect the required 850,000 signatures by April 22 in order to
qualify the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act
initiative for the November ballot.
Such foods, the initiative states, are those in which the genetics
have been altered through techniques that don’t occur naturally.
That includes foods engineered to resist pesticides as a way to
increase crop yields, such those created by Monsanto that can endure
a spraying of the herbicide Roundup.
The initiative is intended to let consumers know if certain foods
have been unnaturally altered.
A group called Stop the Costly Food Labeling Initiative is opposing
the ballot-measure effort. SCFL supporters include the Grocery
Manufacturers Association, of which Safeway is a member.
The group argues that a labeling regulation is unfair to California
farmers and would drive up food prices.
Larry said the purpose of the initiative is to inform consumers.
“It appears that Safeway [locally] doesn’t want its customers to
know what they are selling,” she said. “Other Safeways are allowing
us to gather signatures, and Raley’s has been most welcoming and
inviting.”
“S&S [Produce and Natural Foods] doesn’t usually allow signature
gatherers in front of their store, but they did allow us to for
this,” she continued. “These people are volunteers and they don’t
want to fight. They are giving up their time to do this. Other
stores have been supportive as well. Stores like Trader Joe’s, S&S,
[Chico Natural Foods] all support healthy foods.”
She said a booth will be set up at the Thursday Night Market tonight
and April 19 to collect signatures.
“That is, if the farmers’ market folks will let us,” she joked.
Bosschart said the goal for local volunteers is to gather 10,000
signatures. At this point, she said, they have collected about
7,000.
She is confident at this point that enough valid signatures will be
gathered in time to qualify the measure for the November ballot.
“I’ve never been involved with anything like this, and was surprised
at how many people are out there gathering signatures for different
causes,” she said. “I got involved in this because I’m a longtime
advocate for healthy food and against GMO foods and Monsanto.”
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