The DARK Act is in hearing on the Hill today ... The Grocery Manufacturers Association, along with allies like Monsanto and Dow, have teamed up with Koch-backed Congressman Mike Pompeo of Kansas on a federal bill that would deny your right to know what is in your food. This bill, (HR 4432), which has been called the “Denying Americans the Right-to-Know Act” (DARK Act), would: Prevent states from adopting their own GE labeling laws. Block any attempt by states to make it illegal for food companies to put a “natural” label on products that contain GE ingredients. Prevent the Food and Drug Administration from requiring companies to label GE ingredients and instead continue a failed, decade-old “voluntary” labeling policy. GE labeling is important to Americans, with over 90% consistently supporting transparency in the marketplace through mandatory GE labeling. In 2013 and 2014 there were over 70 GE labeling bills and ballot initiatives introduced across 30 states, with laws being passed in Maine, Connecticut and Vermont. The DARK Act would shut down these efforts and replace them with an undemocratic, hollow “voluntary” labeling scheme. In the 13 years that FDA has allowed companies to voluntarily label GE foods, a total of zero companies have done so. This is not the solution consumers have been demanding. Even though Americans overwhelmingly support labeling, there is a disastrous momentum behind the DARK Act. Instead of joining the 64 countries across the world that require GE labeling, this bill actually promotes consumer confusion. While countries like South Korea, Japan, China, Brazil, South Africa and the entire European Union care about their citizens’ right to know what is in their food, some in Congress are instead working on keeping Americans in the dark.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 16:19:07 +0000