The pros and cons of Proposition 37, a state ballot initiative that would require some genetically modified foods to be labeled as such, will be the topic of a panel discussion from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, in Beckman Hall room 404 at Chapman University.

Among the participants for “The Prop. 37-GMO Labeling Debate” will be representatives from California Right to Know, the No on Prop 37 Campaign and the principal attorney for The Food Lawyers, a law firm that specializes in food industry issues. Moderating the discussion will be Alan McHughen, Ph.D., a public sector educator, scientist and consumer advocate. McHughen worked at Yale University and the University of Saskatchewan before joining the University of California, Riverside. He served on recent U.S. National Academy of Sciences panels investigating the environmental effects of transgenic plants, and a second investigating the health effects of genetically modified foods.

California voters are likely to see an uptick in political advertising for and against the initiative in the coming weeks before the Nov. 6 election. Interest in the initiative is also growing in other parts of the nation, where pollsters are studying voter opinion on Prop. 37.

The event is sponsored by the Chapman University Food Science Club. For more information, please visit the Prop 37-GMO Labeling Debate event page.