U.S. Senate Declines Advance of DARK Act
On March 16, the Senate voted to defeat the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act, introduced by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS). Gary Ruskin, co-director of the U.S. Right to Know, stated, “The Senate vote is a victory for consumers and everyone who wants the right to know what’s in our food.”
The bill would have prevented states from requiring companies to label GMO (genetically modified organism) foods. In addition, it would have also stopped the pending laws in states that will require this type of labeling to go into affect.
“The Roberts measure, backed by the food industry, shows the contempt of our nation’s large food companies for their own customers, who overwhelmingly support labeling of genetically engineered food,” said Ruskin.
According to EcoWatch, “Many Senators properly noted that this bill fails to solve the problem it claims to fix. Instead, by blocking state laws from going into effect and replacing them with voluntary measures and impractical alternatives to labeling, it would have ensured that big food processing companies and the biotechnology industry continue to profit by misleading consumers.”
“The industry campaign for the DARK Act will only accelerate consumer distrust of large food companies and their processed food. In other words, the bill’s proponents will reap what they have sown,” Ruskin continued.
EcoWatch stated that nine out of 10 Americans want GMO foods to be labeled. “The majority of Americans support labeling for GMOs and will hold their elected officials accountable if they vote to strip away transparency about how their food is produced. We urge the Senate to continue to reject bills that would block state labeling laws,” EcoWatch concluded.
For more information, visit www.usrtk.org or www.ecowatch.com.