Will Monsanto Ever Give Up the Fight against GMO Labeling?

Have you seen them? The GMO labels that are hitting grocery stores across the country?

Check out the new labels on Spaghettios which state that the product is “Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering.”

Finally, food companies are responding to consumer demand for labels on foods that contain, or are produced with GMOs.

But Monsanto wants to rip that label right off the can—and the Biotech Bully’s friends in the Senate and the Obama Administration are more than willing to help.

TAKE ACTION: Write and call your Senators and Member of Congress. Tell them to stop the DARK Act and let Vermont’s GMO labeling law take effect. 

As of July 1, genetically engineered foods for sale in Vermont must be labeled. Most food companies have done the cost-benefit analysis and figured out that, if they’re going to label GMOs in Vermont, they might as well use that same label nationwide. 

These same food companies also realize that by labeling GMOs, they get the added benefit of generating consumer goodwill for being transparent. And as companies roll out their new GMO labels, they prove that, contrary to the industry-driven fear mongering about consumers having to pay more for their food, fact is, the sky isn’t falling after all.

But Monsanto and its political minions won’t give up. We expect them to introduce a new Senate version of the DARK Act as soon as Congress returns after Memorial Day weekend.

This week, President Obama’s Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he hoped Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) could “see the light” and produce a GMO-labeling bill. This was interpreted by some as a call for mandatory GMO labels.

But Vilsack didn’t actually say “labels”—he called for a “system.” And, while he did say “mandatory,” he qualified that by saying he wants something that’s “flexible and has options.”  Vilsack’s ambiguous language may have something to do with the fact that he was speaking at a gathering of members of the Organic Trade Association. 

At an Iowa press conference last month, Vilsack was much more candid about what he actually wants. 

According to Iowa Farmer Today, “Vilsack supports the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives but is stalled in the Senate.” 

The “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act”—known by its opponents as the DARK Act—is the bill that would preempt state GMO labeling laws and prevent the federal government from labeling GMOs. Vilsack also told Iowa Farmer that he “believes the use of so-called ‘smart labels’ could have a role in striking a compromise in food labeling initiatives covering everything from organics to foods containing genetically engineered crops.” 

Smart labels are what Monsanto and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) have been pushing (and they want them to be voluntary, not mandatory). Instead of printing information on the package, companies would put the information on a website that can be accessed only if you have a smart phone, and an internet connection. Smart labels discriminate against anyone who doesn’t have a smart phone, access to the internet or the time to scan every product they pick up at the grocery store.

We’ve worked too hard for GMO labels. Now that they’ve finally hit the grocery shelves, there’s no going back. We can’t let President Obama and Congress force Monsanto’s smart phone scam on us.

TAKE ACTION: Write and call your Senators and Member of Congress. Tell them to stop the DARK Act and let Vermont’s GMO labeling law take effect.

Thanks!
Alexis and the OCA team