Update: Monsanto's Dream Bill
Sarah Alexander - Food & Water Watch
Dear Patrick,
Update: Rep. Pompeo's (R-Kansas) bill that would prohibit states from requiring labels on genetically engineered foods (GMOs) could get a hearing in the coming weeks!1
This terrible bill would allow corporations that make and use GMOs to continue to keep quiet about them, and it would keep the rest of us in the dark (in fact, some of our allies are calling this the DARK Act, or the Denying Americans the Right to Know, Act). States that have already passed GMO labeling laws could be prevented from implementing their laws to require labels.
Since this bill was introduced, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), an industry group that represents corporations like Monsanto, Nestlé and Dow, has been lobbying hard to move this bill forward. In fact, the day after a court in Vermont upheld that the state's labeling law was constitutional, the GMA ramped up their lobbying efforts by delivering a sign-on letter with more than 350 food corporations to every member of Congress.2
And it gets worse, there are rumors that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is supportive of this bad bill, and is moving forward with "voluntary" certification for non-GMO labeling that comes at the request of a "leading global company."3 This is the industry's attempt to say the problem is taken care of, but we need mandatory labeling for foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients so people know what they're feeding their families.
Please act quickly to tell your members of Congress to say no to Monsanto's Dream Bil
lOver 90% of Americans support the labeling of GMOs.4 This is an impressive consensus, one that we don't see on many issues in the U.S., and it should be a clear sign to our legislators that they should vote NO on this bill!
The GMA, and the corporations it represents are ramping up their efforts to lobby our members of Congress leading up to a potential hearing in the House Energy and Commerce committee, so we need to make sure they're hearing from their actual constituents to counter the anti-labeling rhetoric. Make sure your legislators hear from you: don't listen to Big Food, listen to your constituents and protect our right to know what is in our food.
Thanks for taking action,
Sarah Alexander
Deputy Organizing Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org
1.Bill to Stop GMO Labeling Set to Move in the House, Agri-Pulse, April 30, 2015
2.Coalition for Safe Affordable Food Letter to Congress, via Agri-Pulse, April 30, 2015
3.GMO Free Foods Get New Certification, U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 2015
4.Strong Support for Labeling Modified Foods, New York Times, July 27, 2013