CONTACT INFORMATION SO THAT YOU CAN LET YOUR CONGRESSMEN KNOW YOU WANT THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE CAN BE FOUND AT END OF BLOG.
IF WE DON'T LET THE BOYZ ON THE HILL KNOW WE STILL DEMAND OUR RIGHT TO KNOW THINGS LIKE THIS, THEY'LL JUST KEEP PASSING BILLS REMOVING THAT RIGHT.
Dubbed the DARK Act (Denying Americans the Right to Know) by its opponents, it is reactionary legislation to Vermont, Connecticut and Maine's 2014 laws that made GMO labeling mandatory on food packaging.
Monsanto fights back.
The Genetically Engineered food and seed companies' lobbyists have been promising congressmen the moon if they'll just pass this act.
If the senate passes it, we Americans will never again know what we're eating, who manufactured it, grew it, packaged it, what nation it came from, nor will we know EVER if what we feed our kids is a "frankenfood"...such foods as have been BANNED in almost 40 nations on this planet.
Russia and China have now joined the ban on GMO imports.
In EU only two GMO varieties have been licensed for commercial harvesting and GMO foods are accordingly labeled. However, in US, there are more than 96 GMO varieties and so far only few states including Hawaii,
Alaska, Connecticut and Maine have been able to pass GMO labeling
bill. - See more at:
http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/russia-bans-import-of-gmo-crops-biotech-is-pouring-thousands-of-dollars-to-defeat-gmo-labeling-in-oregon-county.php#sthash.WVPuzjbg.dpuf
In the European Union only two GMO varieties have been licensed for commercial harvesting and GMO foods are accordingly labeled. However, in the U.S., there are more than 96 GMO varieties and so far only a few states including Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, Connecticut and Maine have been able to pass certain types of GMO labeling bill.
In EU only two GMO varieties have been licensed for commercial harvesting and GMO foods are accordingly labeled. However, in US, there are more than 96 GMO varieties and so far only few states including Hawaii,
Alaska, Connecticut and Maine have been able to pass GMO labeling
bill. - See more at:
http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/russia-bans-import-of-gmo-crops-biotech-is-pouring-thousands-of-dollars-to-defeat-gmo-labeling-in-oregon-county.php#sthash.WVPuzjbg.dpuf
[IF GMOs ARE SO SAFE AND WONDERFUL, WHY WOULDN'T THE GM PRODUCERS WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THEY'RE BUYING GM CROPS?]
The DARK Act makes absolutely no sense, and here's why.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-law/the-dark-act-makes-absolu_b_8145824.html
This (past) summer H.R. 1599 was introduced to Congress.
It is a bill pushed by companies like Monsanto which have long battled against labels that state foods are genetically modified.
GMO means Genetically Modified Organism, and in this instance, is being used to describe agricultural products that have been genetically modified. There is a debate over whether GMOs are good or bad for our health, but that isn't what this bill is about .
This bill is about the consumer's right to know whether or not what they are eating contains GMOs.
It is a pretty reasonable request for a person to have as much information as possible about the food they are feeding their children so that they can make a decision based on their personal values whether or not they want it.
There is a fear from food manufacturers that disclosing that they use GMO foods will:
A. Increase costs
B. Decrease sales.
Part B of that fear may very well be accurate, but consumers SHOULD be entitled to know what they are feeding their families more than companies like Monsanto are entitled to gratuitous profits.
To be clear, even if they disclose that they are using GMOs in their food, companies will STILL make a whole lot of money.
WHY PUT PROFITS ABOVE OUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT WE INGEST, ABOVE OUR HEALTH?
The Bill
This bill preempts states from requiring labeling of GMO food. Further, it PROHIBITS states from preventing often inaccurate "natural claims". The bill makes it IMPOSSIBLE for the FDA to create a national GMO labeling system.
It would also mandate the review system for the safety of GMO food to be based on industry science, which means the people making the food will determine if the food is safe.
*Unrelated to the content of the bill, but speaking to the duplicity of those who wrote it, HR 1599 is technically called "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015" which would make those casually searching about it think the bill was aiming to increase food labeling.
To be clear, that is wildly untrue.
Those reasons are why this bill makes absolutely no sense.
States were trying to protect their consumers by requiring clear labeling of what went into food products sold to their citizens.
Monsanto and friends saw this as a threat to business as usual and decided to spend a bunch of money lobbying Congress and the American public to paint themselves as reasonable and their opponents as hippie rabble-rousing left-wingers.
It was cleverly done, but at the end of the day, very inaccurate.
Campaign contributions are likely why most elected officials that support the bill are supporting it.
Around the world, 64 other nations REQUIRE GMO labeling because just like nutrition and ingredient labeling, it just makes sense.
GMO labeling will NOT increase food prices.
Companies change labels regularly for various reasons from new flavors, new logos, updated designs etc.
The reason big companies are against this is likely because they fear smaller, truly natural farmers might be able to collectively steal market share when people know what's actually in products.
This is why voluntary labeling will not work.
Voluntary labeling just leads to consumer confusion, as companies that produce food that is anything but natural can use loopholes and vague language in current laws to label their food as natural.
This isn't an issue of whether GMOs are good or bad.
It isn't about natural versus "standard" food production.
This is simply an issue about whether or not families should be able to know what is in the food that they buy so they can decide what they want to feed their children. In countries all over the world, people have that ability. It's time we have it in America too."
CONGRESS DOES WHAT BIG INDUSTRY TELLS THEM TO DO.
IT MEANS MORE CAMPAIGN MONEY FOR THEM.
[THE FOLLOWING IS FROM AN EMAIL SENT TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, MINE COMING FROM OCEAN ROBBINS, WHOSE GRANDFATHER CO-FOUNDED BASKIN-ROBBINS ICE CREAM COMPANY. OCEAN IS FOUNDER OF THE FOOD REVOLUTION NETWORK.]
"Senators acting under orders of their big food and chemical company donors have introduced a new Deny Americans Right to Know (DARK) Act that would overturn democratically-passed laws to label genetically engineered (GE) foods in Vermont and other states, and block the government from EVER implementing mandatory nationwide GE food labeling.
They’ve tried this before.
Last year Monsanto and its friends in the food industry tried and failed to pass the DARK Act.
We defeated it thanks to letters and calls from you and millions of others.
But they are at it again and we need your help again.
This Senate bill, introduced by Senator Roberts (R-KS) will be marked up in the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday, Feb. 25th. This bill would preempt all state mandatory labeling and leave consumers with nothing but “voluntary” labeling — so each food company using genetically engineered ingredients can choose whether or not to disclose that to the public. But for 15 years companies have been free to label their products as containing GE ingredients and hardly any have implemented labeling.
So let’s be very clear: “voluntary labeling” basically means “no labeling.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) has come out in public support of your right to know. So far, he is the ONLY presidential candidate who has taken a stand in support of GE labeling. Senator Sander’s home state of Vermont is set to be the first in the nation to require labeling of ALL GE foods, starting in July.
That’s why Monsanto is getting desperate – and pushing hard to shut down American’s right to know permanently. "
BELIEVE IT!
MONSANTO HAS BEEN DOING SUCH THINGS EVER SINCE IT WAS CREATED.
THIS IS NO DAMNED "CONSPIRACY THEORY".
IT'S A CONSPIRATORIAL FACT!
OUR CONGRESS IS ABSOLUTELY CONSPIRING WITH THE GM INDUSTRY TO HIDE VERY IMPORTANT FACTS FROM US.
THEY WILL DO SO IF WE AGAIN ALLOW THEM TO.
THE BEST WAY TO TELL YOUR ELECTEDS TO STOP THIS CRAP IS BY GOING TO POPVOX, AND WITH JUST A FEW CLICKS, EMAILS ARE SENT TO THE SELL-OUTS YOU VOTED FOR, OR MAYBE YOU DIDN'T VOTE FOR THEM.
EITHER WAY, WE STILL HAVE A VOICE, AND WE BLOODY WELL NEED TO START USING IT.
BELOW IS THE LINK TO VOICE YOUR WISHES.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/114/hr1599
AND, BELOW IS THE SITE TO OFFER YOUR CONGRESSMEN YOUR TAKE ON THE SENATE RESOLUTION...WHICH LOOKS TO BE A "GOOD" THING, MAYBE, REGARDING THE DESPICABLE COAL INDUSTRY, BUT IT'S TACKED ON TO THE BILL TO DENY US THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHERE OUR FOOD COMES FROM, SO NO, WE DON'T NEED THE "RESOLUTION" TACKED ONTO THIS BILL.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/114/hres369
IT SEEMS TO ME THIS IS JUST A PLOY TO GET MORE DEMOCRATS TO VOTE TO PASS THE DAMNED BILL...AS IN, "IF YOU VOTE FOR THE DARK ACT, WE'LL PRETEND TO COME DOWN ON THE COAL INDUSTRY JUST A WEE BIT."
NO!
NO TO OLD "1599", PERIOD!
BECAUSE I'VE LONG HAD A POPVOX ACCOUNT, THAT TOOK ME JUST TWO CLICKS AT EACH SITE, ABOUT 3 MINUTES TO WRITE MY MESSAGES TO MY CON-MEN AND DONE.
WHILE YOU'RE ON POPVOX, JUST LOOK AT THE SCAMS CONGRESS IS PASSING OFF ON US WHILE WE NEGLECT TO WATCH THEM!
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/new
YOU REALLY NEED TO READ THE BILLS, AMERICANS!
THERE'S ALSO A PETITION ONE CAN SIGN, SEVERAL ACTUALLY, BUT FEW CONGRESSMEN READ THOSE.
"This is a critical time to take action. If you’re from the U.S., click here to speak up now."
IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW, YOUR CONGRESSMEN DON'T ACTUALLY READ ANYTHING WE WRITE THEM UNLESS SOMEONE HANDS IT TO THEM AFTER THE DESIGNATED READER HAS READ IT.
THEY DO, HOWEVER, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, READ WHAT'S SAID ON POPVOX, IF ONLY A QUICK LOOK AT SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION OF THE LATEST "BILL" THEY WANT US TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR ONE OR MORE OF THEIR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS.
IT'S OUR FOOD, PEOPLE.
IT'S OUR BODIES.
IT SHOULD BE OUR CHOICE TO HAVE CONCISE LABELS THAT TELL US ALL WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
WHEN CONGRESS STARTS HIDING ANYTHING, THAT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT EXTRA CLOSELY.
//WW
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