Monsanto money helped defeat Colo. food labeling ballot measure

A new study finds that corporations and trade groups gave at least $217 million to sway the outcome of state ballot measure and referendum campaigns during the 2014 midterm elections.

The agricultural giant Monsanto helped defeat proposals in Oregon and Colorado that would have required more labeling of food products.

For the most part, those businesses were overwhelmingly successful in defeating proposals that they didn't like.

The analysis being released Thursday by the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity shows that several wealthy individuals joined those business interests on the list of the top 50 contributors for ballot measures.

In California, the health care industry spent heavily to help defeat proposals that would have made it harder to raise insurance premiums and would have increased the cap on medical malpractice awards.