Once again, big money in politics is attempting to keep people in the dark.
This time it’s an attempt to keep consumers (people) oblivious as to what is in the foods we eat. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) introduced a bill in Congress which would block any federal or state action to require labeling of foods made with genetically-engineered ingredients.
There are ongoing disagreements about the safety of genetic modifications to foods, but in the meantime, people have a right to know whether or not their foods have been modified in such a manner and it should be stated on food labels.
One cause of widespread obesity in this nation is the way food manufacturers try to keep us ignorant of the appalling extent of sugar and other junk added to our foods, making many people virtual sugar addicts.
Despite an encouraging, healthy trend by people who want to know exactly what is in the food they buy and eat, Pompeo’s bill completely ignores those people, tying the hands of state governments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their efforts to educate people about what is in their foods. Pompeo and other legislators funded by the corporate-food industry love to think the less we know, the better (the better for them, of course). That is why opponents have dubbed Pompeo’s bill the “DARK Act,” the DARK standing for “Denying Americans the Right-to-Know.”
As Colin O’Neil, director of government affairs for the Center for Food Safety, put it: “Congressman Pompeo is signing away the rights of Americans to know what they are buying and feeding their families. This bill is an attack on states’ abilities to assure their citizens are informed.”
Exactly.
Ironically, the pushers behind this bill, including Pompeo, are calling it the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act,” an insulting euphemism worthy of George Orwell’s Big Brother, who insisted that “War” is really “Peace.”
Many states have already passed laws requiring products containing genetically-altered ingredients (often called GMOs) say so on product labels. Pompeo’s bill would make it voluntary (rather than mandatory) on the part of food companies. Currently, the FDA already allows companies to voluntarily label their foods which contain GMOs. But do they do it? Of course not.
The big guns in the shadows behind the DARK Act are agri-food giants, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the usual garden variety of super-rich political contributors.
Pompeo’s bill, this “voluntary” compliance, would be even worse, in effect nullifying state laws to require labeling. Three states (Connecticut, Maine, Vermont) have passed such laws, expected to go into effect in July 2016. Many others are expected to follow suit.
Fortunately, a “rider” policy for DARK was stricken from the recent omnibus spending bill passed by Congress.
However, it’s important we keep an eye on the machinations of Pompeo and other so-called “leaders” who claim they represent the people. They are likely to try again to get their pro-agribusiness DARK bill passed, by hook or crook sometime in the future.
We should tell our legislators to squelch any future “DARK” bills of any sort. What we the people need is more information – not less – on our food labels. And everywhere else.
