BREAKING: MONSANTO'S DREAM BILL INTRODUCED
Wenonah Hauler, Food & Water Watch
Breaking News: Rep. Pompeo (R-Kansas) just introduced a bill that would prohibit state efforts to require labeling of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).
This is Monsanto's dream bill — it would allow corporations that make and use GMOs to continue to keep quiet about them, and it would keep the rest of us in the dark (in fact, some of our allies are calling this the DARK, or the Denying Americans the Right to Know, Act). States that have already passed GMO labeling laws could be prevented from implementing their laws to require labels.
We know that this bill does not represent our best interests. In fact, over 90% of Americans support the labeling of GMOs. This is an impressive consensus, one that we don't see on many issues in the U.S., and it should be a clear sign to our legislators that they should vote NO on this bill!
Since there is so much public support for GMO labeling, why does this bill exist?
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), an industry group that represents corporations like Monsanto, Nestlé and Dow, has been working with allies in Congress to get this bill re-introduced in the current Congress (after it failed to move when introduced last year). This is just one of the many ways that these corporations have tried to keep GMO labeling from becoming the law. In every state that has worked to pass labeling laws, the industry has spent millions of dollars to manufacture doubt and keep us from knowing what's in our food.
But it is not up to corporations to decide whether you and I get to know what is in our food. We should be able to make informed choices about what we feed ourselves and our families.
We know that the GMA, and the corporations it represents, are busy lobbying our members of Congress, so we need to make sure they're hearing from their actual constituents to counter the anti-labeling rhetoric. Make sure your legislators hear from you: don't listen to Big Food, listen to your constituents and protect our right to know what is in our food.
Please act quickly to tell your members of Congress to say no to Monsanto's Dream Bill!
Thanks for taking action,
Wenonah Hauter
Executive Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org