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For Immediate Release
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Organic Consumers Association Calls out Vilsack for 'Fear Mongering' about GMO Labeling

Agriculture Secretary’s comments show great concern about corporate profits, no concern for U.S. consumers and taxpayers who pay his salary

FINLAND, Minn.

The Organic Consumers Association today called out U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for fear mongering and misleading Congress on the issue of mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

"Secretary Vilsack's comments, quoted in PoliticoPro today, are an example of shameless fear mongering, and of loyalty to corporate lobbyists instead of American consumers," said Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association. "Claiming that enactment of Vermont's law will cause 'chaos' is untrue. There are more than 100 state food labeling laws on the books in the U.S., including one in Vermont governing labels on maple syrup. The only difference between these other laws, and Vermont's GMO labeling law, is that Monsanto and GMA lobbyists have spent millions of dollars to prevent Vermont's GMO labeling law from taking effect."

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"Secretary Vilsack, who's salary is paid by U.S. taxpayers, also implies in his statement today that the food industry needs more time to comply with Vermont's law. Vermont's governor signed Act 120 into law in May, 2014, nearly two years ago. If industry had spent its time preparing to comply with the law, instead of suing Vermont, and spending millions to preempt the law, food companies would be ready to roll out those labels in July.

"As Campbell's Soup Co. recently said, it is not difficult to print "produced with genetic engineering" on a label--and it costs nothing. It is insulting to imply that consumers need more 'education and acceptance. When it comes to GMOs. Consumers have already educated themselves. They are aware of the health and environmental risks associated with GMO commodity foods, and they are rightfully demanding transparency.

"If the U.S. Senate caves in to Secretary Vilsack's demands to support Monsanto and the junk food corporations, instead of the majority of Americans who continue to be denied basic information about what's in their food, it will be one of the biggest betrayals of the American public, at the behest of corporate money, that we have seen in a long time."

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit public interest organization, and the only organization in the U.S. focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation's estimated 50 million consumers of organically and socially responsibly produced food and other products. OCA educates and advocates on behalf of organic consumers, engages consumers in marketplace pressure campaigns, and works to advance sound food and farming policy through grassroots lobbying. We address crucial issues around food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability, including pesticide use, and other food- and agriculture-related topics.