The nation's largest agribusinesses and biotech companies are pouring big money into the fight against the country's first-ever initiative that would require special labels on foods made with genetically modified ingredients.
So far, the giants of farming, including Monsanto, Dupont Pioneer and Cargill, have contributed nearly $25 million to defeat the California ballot proposal, much of it in just the past few days.
That is nearly 10 times the amount raised by backers of the measure who say California's health-conscious shoppers want more information about the food they eat.
With nearly three months to go before the November election, the measure's opponents appear to be following the previous blueprint developed by major industries to defeat ballot initiatives in the nation's largest consumer market: Raise large sums of money to swamp the airwaves with negative advertising.