SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
'Corporate Influence Has Won': House Passes Anti-GMO Labeling Bill
Legislation dubbed the DARK Act had backing of powerful groups who poured money into defeating state-level GMO-labeling efforts
Jul 23, 2015
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would block states from requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods, or GMOs--a move that consumer rights groups decried as corporate power defeating Americans' right to know what's in their food.
The bill, H.R. 1599--dubbed the "DARK Act" (Deny Americans the Right to Know) by its critics--passed 275-150. (Click here to see the roll call...)
It was backed by the food industry, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Monsanto Company, which have poured money into defeating GMO labeling initiatives.
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, a group that opposed the bill, explains: "The bill that passed includes provisions that would preempt states from labeling GMOs or enforce already passed GMO labeling provisions (like Vermont's Act 120), and would prohibit states from having any oversight of GMO crops, for example, a county-wide ban on growing GMOs or GMO-free zones in certain organic seed-producing areas. Instead, this bill would create a voluntary federal GMO labeling standard for companies, weakening already deficient regulations."
It was co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), who said following the vote that bill "provides needed clarity in food labeling."
Among those disappointed in the passage of the legislation is the Center for Food Safety.
"Passage of this bill is an attempt by Monsanto and its agribusiness cronies to crush the democratic decision-making of tens of millions of Americans. Corporate influence has won and the voice of the people has been ignored," stated Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of Center for Food Safety.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) was also opposed to the bill, and cited widespread public support for labeling GMOs.
"It's outrageous that some House lawmakers voted to ignore the wishes of nine out of 10 Americans," said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs for EWG.
The outcome of the vote was a "foregone conclusion," he continued, because "this House was bought and paid for by corporate interests."
But Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association, stressed that the fight is far from over--so expect resistance.
"We are committed to stopping this outrageous, anti-consumer, anti-democracy legislation from succeeding," Cummins said. "We will do so by mobilizing a massive opposition movement that transcends political party affiliations, and that unites consumers of all ages with organic farmers and retailers whose livelihoods are threatened by this legislation, and with the medical and scientific experts who are outspoken about the potential health and environmental risks associated with GMO crops and foods.
"It's time to hold every member of Congress accountable. Either they stand with Monsanto and Big Food in support of the DARK Act, or they stand with the overwhelming majority of their constituents for truthful labeling and consumer choice," Cummins stated.
Instead of H.R. 1599, hundreds of farm, public interest and environmental organizations have urged (pdf) passage of bipartisan legislation that would require labeling of GMOs.
For now, the battle moves to the Senate, where, as the Des Moines Register reports, no similar legislation exists. EWG's Faber says his group is "confident the Senate will defeat the DARK Act."
Kimbrell expressed optimism as well, stating, "We remain confident that the Senate will preserve the rights of Americans and stand up for local democracy."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
center for food safetyenvironmentenvironmental working groupfood & water watchgmomike pompeomonsantoorganic consumers associationus house
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would block states from requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods, or GMOs--a move that consumer rights groups decried as corporate power defeating Americans' right to know what's in their food.
The bill, H.R. 1599--dubbed the "DARK Act" (Deny Americans the Right to Know) by its critics--passed 275-150. (Click here to see the roll call...)
It was backed by the food industry, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Monsanto Company, which have poured money into defeating GMO labeling initiatives.
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, a group that opposed the bill, explains: "The bill that passed includes provisions that would preempt states from labeling GMOs or enforce already passed GMO labeling provisions (like Vermont's Act 120), and would prohibit states from having any oversight of GMO crops, for example, a county-wide ban on growing GMOs or GMO-free zones in certain organic seed-producing areas. Instead, this bill would create a voluntary federal GMO labeling standard for companies, weakening already deficient regulations."
It was co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), who said following the vote that bill "provides needed clarity in food labeling."
Among those disappointed in the passage of the legislation is the Center for Food Safety.
"Passage of this bill is an attempt by Monsanto and its agribusiness cronies to crush the democratic decision-making of tens of millions of Americans. Corporate influence has won and the voice of the people has been ignored," stated Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of Center for Food Safety.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) was also opposed to the bill, and cited widespread public support for labeling GMOs.
"It's outrageous that some House lawmakers voted to ignore the wishes of nine out of 10 Americans," said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs for EWG.
The outcome of the vote was a "foregone conclusion," he continued, because "this House was bought and paid for by corporate interests."
But Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association, stressed that the fight is far from over--so expect resistance.
"We are committed to stopping this outrageous, anti-consumer, anti-democracy legislation from succeeding," Cummins said. "We will do so by mobilizing a massive opposition movement that transcends political party affiliations, and that unites consumers of all ages with organic farmers and retailers whose livelihoods are threatened by this legislation, and with the medical and scientific experts who are outspoken about the potential health and environmental risks associated with GMO crops and foods.
"It's time to hold every member of Congress accountable. Either they stand with Monsanto and Big Food in support of the DARK Act, or they stand with the overwhelming majority of their constituents for truthful labeling and consumer choice," Cummins stated.
Instead of H.R. 1599, hundreds of farm, public interest and environmental organizations have urged (pdf) passage of bipartisan legislation that would require labeling of GMOs.
For now, the battle moves to the Senate, where, as the Des Moines Register reports, no similar legislation exists. EWG's Faber says his group is "confident the Senate will defeat the DARK Act."
Kimbrell expressed optimism as well, stating, "We remain confident that the Senate will preserve the rights of Americans and stand up for local democracy."
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would block states from requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods, or GMOs--a move that consumer rights groups decried as corporate power defeating Americans' right to know what's in their food.
The bill, H.R. 1599--dubbed the "DARK Act" (Deny Americans the Right to Know) by its critics--passed 275-150. (Click here to see the roll call...)
It was backed by the food industry, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Monsanto Company, which have poured money into defeating GMO labeling initiatives.
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, a group that opposed the bill, explains: "The bill that passed includes provisions that would preempt states from labeling GMOs or enforce already passed GMO labeling provisions (like Vermont's Act 120), and would prohibit states from having any oversight of GMO crops, for example, a county-wide ban on growing GMOs or GMO-free zones in certain organic seed-producing areas. Instead, this bill would create a voluntary federal GMO labeling standard for companies, weakening already deficient regulations."
It was co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), who said following the vote that bill "provides needed clarity in food labeling."
Among those disappointed in the passage of the legislation is the Center for Food Safety.
"Passage of this bill is an attempt by Monsanto and its agribusiness cronies to crush the democratic decision-making of tens of millions of Americans. Corporate influence has won and the voice of the people has been ignored," stated Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of Center for Food Safety.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) was also opposed to the bill, and cited widespread public support for labeling GMOs.
"It's outrageous that some House lawmakers voted to ignore the wishes of nine out of 10 Americans," said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs for EWG.
The outcome of the vote was a "foregone conclusion," he continued, because "this House was bought and paid for by corporate interests."
But Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association, stressed that the fight is far from over--so expect resistance.
"We are committed to stopping this outrageous, anti-consumer, anti-democracy legislation from succeeding," Cummins said. "We will do so by mobilizing a massive opposition movement that transcends political party affiliations, and that unites consumers of all ages with organic farmers and retailers whose livelihoods are threatened by this legislation, and with the medical and scientific experts who are outspoken about the potential health and environmental risks associated with GMO crops and foods.
"It's time to hold every member of Congress accountable. Either they stand with Monsanto and Big Food in support of the DARK Act, or they stand with the overwhelming majority of their constituents for truthful labeling and consumer choice," Cummins stated.
Instead of H.R. 1599, hundreds of farm, public interest and environmental organizations have urged (pdf) passage of bipartisan legislation that would require labeling of GMOs.
For now, the battle moves to the Senate, where, as the Des Moines Register reports, no similar legislation exists. EWG's Faber says his group is "confident the Senate will defeat the DARK Act."
Kimbrell expressed optimism as well, stating, "We remain confident that the Senate will preserve the rights of Americans and stand up for local democracy."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.