To: The United States Senate
Help us defend GMO labeling laws!
I urge you to reject any Senate version of Rep. Pompeo's "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act," (H.R. 1599), which prohibits states from requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods, or GMOs, and prohibits any local control of how GMOs are regulated.
This bill, which is promoted by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, would prevent states from requiring GMO labels at any time. In fact, this bill is so anti-consumer it's commonly referred to as the Deny Americans the Right to Know (or DARK) Act.
I urge you to reject any Senate version of this industry bill. We have a right to know what is in our food so that we can make informed choices about the food we eat, and communities have a right to determine how they want to control GMO crops.
I am one of over 90% of voters who support required labels for GMOs. State legislatures are responding to citizens on an issue that the Food and Drug Administration and Congress have ignored for years. Industry should not use Congress to undermine the public's right to know or the decisions of state legislatures that are responding to what their constituents want.
Why is this important?
Last year, Vermont passed a law requiring most genetically engineered foods to be labeled…and soon, industry attacked.
Earthjustice has now gone to court to defend Vermont’s law and stand up to these attacks.
But now an extremist segment of the food industry is pushing to prohibit GMO labeling anywhere in the country. You have a right to know what’s in the food you eat. Take action now to defend that right.
The House has already passed a bill prohibiting any and all state and local GMO labeling requirements. We need more food transparency, not less! Tell your senator you oppose this legislation now!
The bill goes far beyond labeling—it would preclude not only labeling, but also all state and local regulation of GMOs. We’re defending communities in Hawai‘i that have chosen to restrict the growing of GMO crops to protect conventional and organic farmers from contamination and the public from associated pesticide use.
In fact, Earthjustice has litigated for years to protect people and the environment from dangers associated with genetically modified food crops.
More than 99% of GMO crops are created to withstand toxic chemical applications or produce their own pesticides, leading to greater pesticide use.
Increased use of pesticides and the emergence of pesticide-resistant weeds are just two of the problems GMO crops create, not to mention possible long-term health effects and risks to biodiversity. GMO crops also reduce consumers’ ability to avoid GMO-contaminated food and farmers’ ability to protect their non-GMO fields from contamination.
More than 60 countries already require GMO labeling. Today, we’re asking you to stand up for food transparency in the United States!