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:
____________________________