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More than 200 organizations and businesses called on President Barack Obama today to uphold his 2007 campaign pledge to require the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods.
Congressional champions for GE labeling, led by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., held a press conference in support of a letter sent to President Obama. Congressional leaders were joined by Center for Food Safety, Environmental Working Group (EWG), Just Label It, and other supporters of GE labeling.
“Regardless of age, income, education level or even party affiliation, Americans want the right to choose for themselves,” the letter states. “Two state legislatures have already approved GE labeling, and more than 20 other states are considering GE labeling laws. While we will continue to support state labeling efforts, we believe there should be a national mandatory labeling system.”
Other signatories of the letter include Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Amy’s Kitchen, Annie’s Homegrown, Inc., Applegate, Stonyfield Farm, and Nature’s Path Foods.
“In 2007, during a campaign stop in Iowa, President Obama pledged to give Americans the right to know whether they are eating genetically engineered food,” said Food Democracy Now’s Dave Murphy, who captured then-Sen. Obama’s pledge on video. “It’s time for the President to fulfill his commitment.”
“President Obama has long argued that transparency is essential for ensuring public trust. We couldn’t agree more. American consumers want and deserve mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. Relying on companies to voluntarily disclose the presence of GE ingredients is simply not enough,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety.
Rep. DeFazio and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., introduced common sense legislation in 2013 to compel the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a mandatory labeling policy. FDA has the authority to require food companies to disclose the presence of these novel food ingredients, and the agency has already required labeling for more than 3,000 ingredients, additives and food processes.
“In advance of this year’s State of the Union address, we urge President Obama to fulfill his commitment to require GE labeling and to add the U.S. to the list of 64 other nations that have given their consumers the right to know what is in their food,” said Ken Cook, president and cofounder of EWG. “Corporations should not be allowed to withhold this kind of information from the public.”
“FDA has a duty to act when the absence of labeling would leave consumers confused about the foods they buy,” said Violet Batcha, communications and social media manager of the Just Label It campaign. “It’s been more than a decade since FDA approved voluntary GE labeling, and consumers are more confused than ever.”
“This is not an effort to stop GMO’s, nor to mark them with a skull and crossbones – it is simply an exercise of our rights as citizens to know what we are buying and to be able to choose the ways that our foods are grown,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman and cofounder of Stonyfield Farm.
“National polls show that 93 percent of Americans support GMO labeling,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and executive director of the Organic Trade Association. “Consumers increasingly want to know how their food is produced. The organic sector, which by law cannot use GMO processes, as well as many other non-allowed processes and inputs, always sides with the transparency that consumers deserve.
In 2011, Center for Food Safety, on behalf of Just Label It and 22 organizations and businesses, submitted a legal petition to FDA providing a blueprint for a national mandatory labeling policy.
quit messing with our food
There are a few things I and Thom Hartmann, Norman GoldMan, and Ed Schultz are disappointed in from the Pres. Obama. This GMO Crap is one and the TPP is the other to start with. Hopefully the Obama care stays good and not like the Left is trying to lie about what ‘ Might ‘ happen. That will be good.
What you expect from Obama though very true and critical, is dreamy. Sorry to burst your bubble.
If this was any other topic, the food industry would “spin” the marketing, and plaster labels over everything extolling the “benefits” of GM food and turn it into a unique selling point. But the obfuscation has already gone too far – and thanks to the freedom of the internet, peolpe are now able to find out for themselves that the fiction of genetic “enhancement” doesn’t even come close to the Hollywood movie interpretation (which some might say was all part of the original “manufacture of consensus” in the first place).
The fact that independent polls reveal that 90% of the population want GM food labelled (and we can probably assume the remaining 10% actually work in the biotech industry), implies some quite disturbing possibilities: That the democratic system is completely broken; that public ballots have been corrupted, and are controlled by big money interests; that presidents are unable to inact legislation for the good of the people if that impacts on big business profits; that big business may have some sinister method of controlling these authority figures, beyond simple bribery.
If the TPP passes, it will kill all the rules applying to any GE or GMO labeling laws of any country, even if Obama does create such a Labeling Law. Monsanto has it covered in the TPP plan. They also have their own Court and Judges to oversee and overturn any laws in any country, per the contract in the TPP, allowing it to be done. The TPP and the TIPP, for international, are evil. Worse than Hitler could ever dream up. And thisis the beginning [or the end] of the New World Order. Controlled by who? Check out the Illuminati, and get our hands on the ‘little black book’ that is shown to Presidents only after they are sworn in, and then every President has had an attitude adjustment about everything they wanted to do as President. Except President Kennedy. And we all know what happened there. These people are also changing history and science in new books for the Charter Schools in Texas. Programming kids to learn things wrong, the way the New World wants it to be. As Old World as they can make it, to recreate a new history, even about our Presidents lives and statements; and science facts [oh, they aren’t facts?]
Lately I find myself supporting locally grown, organic, and non-gm labelled products over those not advertised as such.
Oftentimes it is more expensive (and I don’t have a large margin of expendable income to work with), but I feel it is what I can do to show my support of labeling and awareness of what exactly is in the food we eat.
As more people boycott those brands and products that are GM, we will see changes.
Changes would occur more quickly if the government became involved, but I doubt that any of it is ever going to be as straightforward or transparent as it probably should be.
My next goal is to support more local and organic farmers at farmer’s markets rather than going to the grocery store.
Baby steps to a better world!
I’m afraid we will never have the transparency or straightforwardness that we crave and deserve in this.
Even should the government pass bills, there are always hidden points and concessions.
Baby steps to a healthier lifestyle: choose to support those items labelled GM free, local, and/or organic over those that aren’t.
My next goal is to shop farmer’s markets for more of my groceries.
Even Republican Gov. LePage is so much better than Obama(he’s NOT a true president by the way due to his fake birth certificate. See http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?57789-4-Simple–really–questions–Obama-birth-certificate-lies- plus other digital evidence showing it’s a multi-layered forgery).
Back to the topic – as the president of USA despite through his theft, i.e. the head of the government, he does have highest authority as the highest elected official to change certain things for better(sounds historically familiar? If you can recall all his sugar-coated pledges when he was running for the office), if he uses it correctly, for instance GMO labeling could be mandated, a quick procedure as simple as a directive from him to FDA; just to refresh your memory, he pledged immediate GMO labeling in 2007. It turned out just to be another hoax from this BIGGEST liar in American history. Not only he totally ignored his very own words, he subsequently appointed Monsanto’s Ex VP to head FDA. Anyone can give me ONE single solid reason why he hasn’t mandated GMO labeling, other than protecting the best interest of big corporations destroying the planet and poisoning US citizens who voted him in in the first place, and who he’s supposed to protect under oath.