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
'Eat-In' Protesters Call Out Obama's Broken Promise to Label GMOs
Food justice advocates gather at FDA on Monday, decry administration's ties to biotechnology firms
Apr 09, 2013
Food justice advocates gathered in front of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety on Monday to demand all genetically modified products (GMOs) be clearly labeled, and to call out the administration's ties to the biotechnology industry.
Over 100 protesters, food advocates, students, farmers, and several groups including Food Democracy Now!, Food & Water Watch and the Organic Consumers Association, joined the "Eat-in" in which a GMO-free "stone soup" was served and protesters heard from a range of speakers who called for the labeling of GMO foods and an end to the revolving door between Washington and the biotech industry, RT reports.
For instance, Michael Taylor, former Vice President of Public Policy at biotech giant and major GMO producer Monsanto, is now a Deputy Commissioner for the FDA.
"In 2008, before he was elected, President Obama promised labeling GMOs but since then, he has furthered policies that protect Monsanto and the use of genetically engineered food such as appointing Michael Taylor to the FDA. Members of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, even Hillary Clinton, they all have ties to Monsanto," Lauren Stansbury, community organizer for occupy-monsanto.com, told VOXXI.
Last week President Obama signed what has been dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act"--legislation that will bar US federal courts from challenging production, sale or planting of genetically engineered (GE) crops even if they failed to be approved by the U.S. government.
The law prompted the group Food Democracy Now! to launch a petition for the U.S. government to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods, which has already gained over 250,000 signatures.
See footage of the protest below:
____________________________
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.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Food justice advocates gathered in front of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety on Monday to demand all genetically modified products (GMOs) be clearly labeled, and to call out the administration's ties to the biotechnology industry.
Over 100 protesters, food advocates, students, farmers, and several groups including Food Democracy Now!, Food & Water Watch and the Organic Consumers Association, joined the "Eat-in" in which a GMO-free "stone soup" was served and protesters heard from a range of speakers who called for the labeling of GMO foods and an end to the revolving door between Washington and the biotech industry, RT reports.
For instance, Michael Taylor, former Vice President of Public Policy at biotech giant and major GMO producer Monsanto, is now a Deputy Commissioner for the FDA.
"In 2008, before he was elected, President Obama promised labeling GMOs but since then, he has furthered policies that protect Monsanto and the use of genetically engineered food such as appointing Michael Taylor to the FDA. Members of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, even Hillary Clinton, they all have ties to Monsanto," Lauren Stansbury, community organizer for occupy-monsanto.com, told VOXXI.
Last week President Obama signed what has been dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act"--legislation that will bar US federal courts from challenging production, sale or planting of genetically engineered (GE) crops even if they failed to be approved by the U.S. government.
The law prompted the group Food Democracy Now! to launch a petition for the U.S. government to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods, which has already gained over 250,000 signatures.
See footage of the protest below:
____________________________
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Food justice advocates gathered in front of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety on Monday to demand all genetically modified products (GMOs) be clearly labeled, and to call out the administration's ties to the biotechnology industry.
Over 100 protesters, food advocates, students, farmers, and several groups including Food Democracy Now!, Food & Water Watch and the Organic Consumers Association, joined the "Eat-in" in which a GMO-free "stone soup" was served and protesters heard from a range of speakers who called for the labeling of GMO foods and an end to the revolving door between Washington and the biotech industry, RT reports.
For instance, Michael Taylor, former Vice President of Public Policy at biotech giant and major GMO producer Monsanto, is now a Deputy Commissioner for the FDA.
"In 2008, before he was elected, President Obama promised labeling GMOs but since then, he has furthered policies that protect Monsanto and the use of genetically engineered food such as appointing Michael Taylor to the FDA. Members of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, even Hillary Clinton, they all have ties to Monsanto," Lauren Stansbury, community organizer for occupy-monsanto.com, told VOXXI.
Last week President Obama signed what has been dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act"--legislation that will bar US federal courts from challenging production, sale or planting of genetically engineered (GE) crops even if they failed to be approved by the U.S. government.
The law prompted the group Food Democracy Now! to launch a petition for the U.S. government to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods, which has already gained over 250,000 signatures.
See footage of the protest below:
____________________________
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.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy