3/16 Breaking Update: The #DarkAct has just been defeated in the Senate. Thank you for your incredible activism – the calls worked!!!! Watch the replay of the hearing here.
If you’ve been following me for awhile you probably know that GMO labeling is an issue that I’m extremely passionate about, and there is a crucial vote happening on the Senate floor this week that could completely wipe away our right to know if there are GMOs in our food. The biotech companies are working hard to make sure that this bill is passed, and we need to take action now to prevent this from happening.
Please call your Senator today and ask them to vote NO on S.2609! Tell them we deserve clear, mandatory GMO labeling on the ingredient panel. Find your Senator’s number here.
As I’m sure you are aware – our food is missing this very important label – one that our government leaders, the FDA, and the USDA have made a concerted effort to deny us from having. 64 nations require GMO labeling, including Russia, China, the EU, and parts of Asia. The U.S.A. does not. You just have to ask yourself, why don’t we have this same right here in America?
{What ingredient labels look like in other countries. photo credit: GMO Compass}
Not only don’t we have the right to mandatory labels like this, but they are trying to take away this right forever.
The “Deny American’s Right To Know” DARK Act (S. 2609) will make it illegal for states to enact GMO labeling laws so that food manufacturers can continue hiding the GMOs in their food. Vermont’s GMO labeling law that is to go into effect this summer will be nullified, as well as other state laws that are pending in Connecticut and Maine. Future state labeling initiatives will be a thing of the past. This legislation will make it harder for companies – like Campbell’s Soup – to add voluntary GMO labels to their products. Not only that, but there are provisions written into the bill that allow for the use of tax dollars to promote the “benefits” of GMOs in an effort to sway the American people. Isn’t that outrageous?!
Although 90% of Americans want GMOs labeled, this bill was clearly written to protect big food and biotech companies without any regard for what we deserve as citizens of this country. It’s been revealed that Senator Pat Roberts – who introduced the DARK Act – has received almost $1 million dollars from agricultural services firms and their political action committees. Their argument that GMO labeling will increase food prices is blatantly false. When Campbell’s made their announcement that they are going to label the GMOs in their products, they said that there will be zero price increase.
The DARK Act was passed by the House last year and similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate, which they will be voting on this week.
If this passes, we are done. This is it.
The vote is scheduled to happen this Wednesday or Thursday – so this is URGENT.
Call your Senators today and tell them we deserve mandatory, clear and explicit GMO labeling and to vote against S. 2609.
There is no time for a petition or to send an email – we need to call. This is the only way that we can effectively make our voices heard and stop this outrageous bill from passing. As American citizens, it is our fundamental right to know what’s in our food.
Share this post – Like it – Tweet it – Instagram it – do everything and whatever you can to get everyone you know to call their Senators NOW.
Here is where you can find a list of phone numbers for our Senators, so you know where to call today. I just called and left a message for my Senator Thom Tillis in NC, it only takes a minute and will make a huge impact!
Thank you for standing up for our rights! We deserve to know what’s in our food.
Xo,
Vani
SD Senator Rounds office did not say how he planed on voting. The rep suggested that he typically doesn’t like voting for things that would be against what another state offers up, like California he said, that may make labeling illegal and forcing them to make changes to label foods.
It implies that he is voting to keep Americans in the dark about the poisons that are placed in the food supply.
That is the impression I got. We will see if he votes on the sides of American Citizens or on the side of Terrorist food corporations.
Ray – Thank you so much for making the call. My Senator is likely for the bill too, although they did not specify when I called and left my request and concerns with his staff. It only takes a few minutes to call, I hope more people take the time to do this – it could make a huge difference.
The law has been passed in Vermont already, keep up Babe. Food Companies will be labeling their products , the deadline is July 1st Perhaps your senators don’t care because they know Bernie Sanders already passed a law that is now disrupting the food industry. It is NOT LOGISTICALLY POSSIBLE to create packaged products for one tiny state. Nope, thanks to Bernie and the voters in Vermont, your packages will be labeled nationwide! (Although you will probably need to circle it for your followers.)
And Ray, “Terrorist Food Corporations”– get a grip dude. I believe in the right to know what is in our food to make Individual choices. But who exactly are they trying to kill? You know how many people work directly or indirectly for the food industry? Google it.
Hey Vani,
You may or may not already be aware of these documents that can be found here at these two links but I believe your army and all the people deserve to know about.
Quotes from FDA Scientists
Key documents revealing the hazards of Genetically Modified foods and flaws with how the agency made its policy.
http://responsibletechnology.org/fraud/quotes-from-fda-scientists/
FDA scientists’ health warnings about GMOs have proven true and we are suffering as a result.
http://responsibletechnology.org/references-2/#_ftn12
Your doing a great job and thanks for your consideration of this information.
Terrorist food corporations? Right up there with ISIS. What a joke.
Love getting involved in politics as long it’s it’s not this year’s election. Bleh. I mean, I’m ready to vote for Cookie Monster here. Seriously, I feel like we are so behind in the U.S. on food!!!
I contacted my congressman and senators of the State of New Jersey. I have been doing this for some time. For the most part they ignore me. I do not get an answer.
The one that did get back to me;
“I believe we must be prudent when approving genetically modified food but I also recognize that unnecessarily labeling inherently safe products, could actually risk confusing and misleading consumers.”
This statement is from Bob Menendez NJ senator
Oh and to make it worse New Jersey is “The Garden State “
Posted on my insta and Facebook! Hashtagged the heck out of it so hopefully it’ll get broadcasted pretty well
NC primaries are today (Tues 3/15). When calling Burr’s office, you can remind them that he has at least 3 other candidates from the Republican Party vying for his seat as well as a strong Democratic field.
Does anyone know if any of the NC Senate candidates will protect the public when it comes to our food supply and where they stand on this important issue?
Non-GMO foods are already labeled in big letters all over the package. I hope this passes Congress. Food companies should not have to change labels for every state in this country because some of you think, wrongly, that GMO foods are not safe for consumption.
I emailed my senators.
What has happened to our food? I just want to eat healthy food and nothing full of toxins, pesticides, MSG’s, additives, preservatives or fake lab food. This is why I have started my own residential farming practices since the government does not seem to care about it. I will continue to buy organic grass feed products to flourish my families bodies, but want to know the hidden dangers of other food products.
I called Ohio’s Rob Portman yesterday and was told he hadn’t made a decision yet. I really can’t believe that the day before the vote..I hope that you will do an updated post with the results as well as who voted for and against the bill. That will be very important in my decision as to who to vote for in the fall. Thank you for all the great work you do.
Vani, did you hear MI Sen-Debbie Stabenow’s statements? WOW! A shout out to our farmers and organic companies out there. She’s got a great outlook on everything that is going on with food in the US.
What a huge win today!! #righttoknow
Is there a website that has information on ingredients and what they are. Last year I had such a website but now gone. It had A to Z and whether an ingredient was ok , possibly ok or not good, something like that.
Many organizations have been in the process, for several years now, such as “Just Label It” attempting to have GMO foods labeled as such and it looks like all of us are finally being heard!
The food companies have sure heard you. If there are no GMO’s in the product it says so in big letters on the front of the package. What more labeling could you possibly want?
This is great. Thanks Vani.
A good reminder to wake the country up and get heads out of sand.
It’s not enough to know about all of this.. We MUST roll up our sleeves and get busy. contribute! FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT!!!!
MUST READ on Amazon: Altered Genes, Twisted Truth
Lookup: Alliance for Bio Integrity Lawsuit against the FDA
refer to huffpost: FDA deceptions Enabled the marketing of GMO
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judy-frankel/fda-deceptions-enabled-th_b_8736422.html
Hi Food Babe,
I just got your email re the mayo deal great news. But.. where do you get organic Red Snapper as I can see no fish has been officially labelled organic in most places because our waterways are polluted. Even the most pristine of them. In fact in CA they refuse to label any fish organic. Help me out would love to buy organic fish?
this is so depressing did this law get passed?