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The House of Representatives Thursday easily passed a bill that would prohibit states, cities and counties from requiring the labeling of genetically modified foods and even overturn similar laws already in existence.
The bill, dubbed the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 but called the DARK Act by critics, passed by a vote of 275-150. Voting for it were 230 Republicans and 45 Democrats, and against it 12 Republicans and 138 Democrats.
Vermont last year became the first state to require the labeling of GMO foods, and a federal judge recently issued a favorable ruling to the law.
The bill, H.R. 1599, now goes to the Senate.
“I’m not going to mince words … this is a DISASTER for our movement and anyone who believes in the right to know what’s in their food,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety Action Fund.
The Best Source For Non-GMO Heirloom Seeds Is Right Here!
She said the bill “would overturn state genetically engineered (GE) food labeling laws, block FDA from ever implementing mandatory GE food labeling, and allow food companies to continue to make misleading ‘natural’ claims for foods that contain GE ingredients.”
“Big food and chemical corporations such as Monsanto have hired high-priced lobbyists who pressured Congress into passing a law that will rescind GE food labeling laws passed in Vermont, Connecticut and Maine and nullify over 135 state and local regulations that restrict the use of GE crops or pesticides. You can bet big food and chemical are only going to increase their big money tactics in the Senate, where the fight promises to be a tougher one for proponents of this anti-GMO labeling bill,” Kimbrell said.
Read Off The Grid News’ earlier story about the bill here.
Learn how you can fight against the bill here.
