'Just Label It', a US coalition calling for mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods, today announced its endorsement for the 'Yes on Prop 37- California Right to Know' campaign. The ‘Proposition 37’ vote, to be held this November is a local referendum offering Californian citizens the chance to vote for the mandatory labelling of GE foods. Although the European Union has required GE labelling since 1997, the United States has not, and as a consequence most processed foods like cereals, snacks and salad dressings have contained ingredients from plants whose DNA was manipulated in a laboratory. In the EU companies generally formulate their products so that they do not contain any GE ingredients and so do not need labelling, and David Byrne, the former European commissioner, has confirmed that requiring GM labelling did not impact the cost of products. As Americans become more aware of the role that food plays in their health, they also want more information about what they eat, including whether it contains GE ingredients. Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association, said he expected Prop 37 to pass. In a poll of 800 likely California voters in July by the California Business Roundtable and Pepperdine University, 64.9% said they were inclined to vote in favour of Proposition 37 based on their knowledge at that time. So far, opponents of Proposition 37 have committed roughly $25 million to defeat it, with the largest contributions coming from Monsanto and DuPont which have made big investments in GE crops. Supporters of Proposition 37 have gathered $3.5 million from donors.