The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has pinpointed about three dozen companies that contributed a combined $7.2 million to help defeat Initiative 522 in Washington, which would require labeling on genetically modified foods.

The association released the list following a lawsuit from the state attorney general's office. Attorney General Bob Ferguson has said that the GMA improperly collected the cash in a manner that shielded the identities of the companies to protect them from scrutiny.

Pepsi was the biggest contributor to the cause, giving $1.6 million. The soda company was followed by Coca-Cola and Nestle, which each contributed a little over $1 million, according to documents. Other contributors included General Mills, Kellogg, Hershey and ConAgra.

Ferguson says the agreement for the association to disclose the donors avoids the need to seek court intervention.

Source: www.katu.com, The Associated Press