In an exciting move in Washington, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) together have sponsored new federal legislation that requires the labeling of all genetically engineered food in the U.S. The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act is the first national labeling bill to be introduced in Congress since 2010. U.S. citizens have demonstrated overwhelming support to label GMO foods in this country. Jeffrey Smith, founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology, has argued that GMO labeling could bring an end to the dangerous growth of GMOs. Genetically modified foods have consistently been shown to be dangerous to health in studies conducted by independently funded researchers. It is time for the U.S. to join other industrialized nations in their mandatory labeling policies.
Federal Labeling Bill enjoys widespread support
On April 24th, the new Federal Labeling Bill was proposed with the support of nine senators and 22 representatives. The bipartisan labeling bill has been supported by over 100 organizations and businesses including the Environmental Working Group, Just Label It, the Center for Environmental Health, and Lundberg Family Farms. This bill follows the passage last month of an amendment to the Senate budget resolution to require the labeling of GE fish.
Overwhelming majority of citizens are demanding GMO labeling
Consistently nearly 95 percent of American have demonstrated support for GM labeling. In October 2011, the Center for Food Safety filed a legal petition with the FDA to require labeling of all food produced using genetic engineering. In 2012, 55 members of Congress wrote a letter to FDA commissioner Hamburg in support of the petition. Over one million public comments have been submitted to the FDA supporting the CFS’s legal petition for labeling. This is the largest public response ever received by the FDA.
In response to consumers demand for labeling of GM foods, 37 GE food labeling bills have been introduced in 21 states in 2013. Hawaii, Washington, Indiana, Missouri and Vermont are among the states with bills pending.
An important grass roots effort is being made to fight GMOs with an international protest against Monsanto. US citizens are participating across the country on May 25th, joining with citizens around the world. See https://occupy-monsanto.com/ for additional information.
US must join the majority of industrialized nations that require labeling
Sixty four countries require labeling of GE foods including Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and the entire European Union. It is time for the US to label GMOs.
Genetically Engineered foods have no safety record
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine reports that “several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM foods”. GE foods have been linked to infertility, GI issues, organ damage, insulin and immune dysfunction and death. Thousands of sheep, buffalo and goats grazing on GE cotton in India have died. Seehttps://www.responsibletechnology.org/ for more details.
GMO labels can significantly end dangerous GMO growth
The US has a strong market economy that is very sensitive to consumer demand. If GMO labeling laws reduce demand for GMO labeled foods, the market will change to meet this demand. This can equate to less GMO foods and more safe GMO free foods for consumers.
Take action
Contact legislators and ask for their support for the New Federal Labeling Bill.
See https://salsa3.salsalabs.com for more details. Join fellow citizens in the March against Monsanto on May 25th.
Check https://occupy-monsanto.com/ for more information.
There is an important momentum for GM labels and it is critical that citizen voices be heard.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy