Senate Rejects the DARK Act!
Many of us in the health community have been eagerly awaiting (even nervously awaiting) the news about the DARK Act and we are rejoicing today! On March 16th, the Senate chose to do the right thing for the people of this country; the bill from Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), again described as the Denying Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act, would have, “prevented states from requiring labeling of genetically engineered (GMO) foods and stopped pending state laws that require labeling to go into effect, ” reports Eco Watch.
I must admit that I’m beyond surprised but also overjoyed.
It seems that Senators understood that this bill wouldn’t solve the current problem. Had this become law, it would have allowed big food processors and the biotech industry to continue to profit by misleading ‘we the people’ by blocking state laws from going into effect and replacing them with voluntary measures and silly alternatives to food labeling. Thankfully, many Senators understand that there is a need for more negotiations about the contents of this bill.
From the Eco Watch article:
“Blocking state laws that require GMO labeling will strip away the ability of states to protect the public’s right to know what is in its food. Any version of this bill that would result in anything less than mandatory on-package labeling is unacceptable.”
We not only want to know what’s in the food we are eating but we have the right to know and then decide, for ourselves, if GMO’s, HFC, Organics, etc…are what’s best for us and our families. But that decision is ours alone. To say or imply otherwise is the height of stupidity. It is high time Congress created a mandatory label, on the packages of our food, so that people can decide for themselves.
We know that the majority of Americans support labeling on GMO foods and hope that everyone will continue to hold their elected officials accountable if they attempt to vote that right away. Now is the time to call or write your Senators and first thank them for defeating the DARK Act, but then remind them about what we want- continued transparency about how our food is produced.
This is good news.
XO-Erin
Source: Eco Watch
