The good news:
- This is a bi-partisan bill with a bunch of co-sponsors (listed at the end of this article).
- Labeling has huge public support.
- Big agriculture, and corporate behemoth Monsanto in particular, HATE the idea of labeling. They claim their food is perfectly safe... so we should just shut up and buy it.
- These guys just spent $46 million to kill a ballot measure in California, Prop 37... so you can bet they're going to be spending big bucks to buy this bill a slow and quiet death.
- Monsanto has done a good job of packing Washington with their lobbyists (as well as putting many of their former employees into the very jobs that are supposed to regulate GMO food - see "Monsanto Employees in the Halls of Government Part 1" and "... Part 2".)
What can you do?
- Share this on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word (and like our Facebook page for more updates!)
- The Center for Food Safety has a webpage all set up to allow you to write your representatives. Tell them to sign on and join the following co-sponsors in support of this critical legislation!
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Mark Begich (D-AK)
- Jon Tester (D-MT)
- Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
- Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
- Brian Schatz (D-HI)
- Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
- Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
- Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands)
- Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
- Peter Welch (D-VT)
- James Moran (D-VA)
- Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
- Don Young (R-AK)
- Jim McDermott (D-WA)
- Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
- Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
- Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA)
- Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
- Gerry Connolly (D-VA)
- George Miller (D-CA)
- David Cicilline (D-RI)
- Barbara Lee (D-CA)
- Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
- Ann Kuster (D-NH)
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
- Consumers Union
- Environmental Working Group
- Just Label It
- the National Farmers Union
- Stonyfield Farms
- Consumer Federation of America
- AllergyKids Foundation
- National Cooperative Grocers Association
- New England Farmers Union
- Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
- Center for Environmental Health
- Chefs Collaborative
- Label GMOs
- Alaska Trollers Association
- Ben & Jerry's
- Clif Bar & Company
- Lundberg Family Farms
- Nature's Path
- Annie's Inc.
there seems to be exceptions or loopholes starting at line 18?
[...]
18 ‘‘(2) This paragraph does not apply to food that—
19 ‘‘(A) is served in restaurants or other similar
20 eating establishments, such as cafeterias and
21 carryouts;
22 ‘‘(B) is a medical food (as defined in section
23 5(b) of the Orphan Drug Act);
[...]
1 ‘‘(C) is a food that would be subject to this
2 paragraph solely because it was produced using a ge-
3 netically engineered vaccine; or
4 ‘‘(D) is a food or processed food that would be
5 subject to this paragraph solely because it includes
6 the use of a genetically engineered processing aid
7 (including yeast) or enzyme.
[...]