Something very scary is going on and many people are unaware of it! A bill named the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014,” sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas. Unfortunately the name has been sugarcoated to seem that it would be created to protect consumers. Despite its misleading name, this act would stop the GMO labeling movement that is gaining strength and popularity across the nation in its tracks. It is a horrible piece of legislation that I cannot even believe has been created and it is up to us to make sure it does not pass.
More aptly renamed the “Denying Americans the Right to Know Act,” or DARK Act, by organizations like the Center for Food Safety (CFS), this law would take away your right to know what is in your food. According to the CFS, DARK Act legislation would prevent states from adopting their own GMO food labeling laws, block states from outlawing the “natural” label from genetically engineered (GE) foods and prevent the FDA from requiring companies to label GE ingredients. Instead, we would continue with voluntary labeling, a practice most companies simply ignore.
This is a HUGE Problem!
The future of safe food is at risk. Don’t you have the right to know what is in the food your feed your family? This is a critical time to get involved otherwise our politicians may take a step closer to denying your right to know if your food is genetically engineered. Not only that, but since several states have already passed mandatory GMO labeling and others are moving towards trend in the near future, states will lose their right to have their own say about how food is labeled. The DARK Act is a serious conflict of interest with states’ rights.
GMO Foods have been associated with:
- Autoimmune Disease
- Infertility
- Gastrointestinal Issues
- Cancer
- Other Chronic Disease
Have you noticed the rising trend in these diseases in the last couple decades? It’s being linked to the changes in food, preservatives, additives and other chemicals that are added to our foods. Without food labeling we as consumers are denied the right to avoid these dangerous foods putting the health of the public at risk.
How can we prevent the DARK Act from succeeding? The hearing is being scheduled by the Health Subcommittee of the Energy & Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (PA), and takes please in two days. NOW is the time to make your voice heard. If your congressman or woman sits on this committee, call them and tell them that you support GMO labeling and have a right to know what’s in your food – ASAP! The following is the list of members who you can contact, their state and district number and their phone number:
Republicans: | Phone: |
Chairman: Joe Pitts (PA-26) | 202-225-2411 |
Vice Chairman: Michael Burgess, MD (TX) |
202-225-7772 |
Ed Whitfield (KY-1) | 202-225-3115 |
John Shimkus (IL-15) | 202-225-5271 |
Mike Rogers (MI-8) | 202-225-4872 |
Tim Murphy (PA-18) | 202-225-2301 |
Marsha Blackburn (TN-7) | 202-225-2811 |
Phil Gingrey (GA-11) | 202-225-2931 |
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) | 202-225-2006 |
Leonard Lance (NJ) | 202-225-5361 |
Bill Cassidy (LA) | 202-225-3901 |
Brett Guthrie (KY-2) | 202-225-3501 |
Morgan Griffith (VA-9) | 202-225-3861 |
Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) | 202-225-5755 |
Renee Ellmers (NC-2) | 202-225-4531 |
Joe Barton (TX-6) | 202-225-2002 |
Fred Upton (MI-6) | 202-225-3761 |
Democrats: | |
Ranking Member: Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-6) |
202-225-4671 |
John D. Dingell (MI-12) | 202-225-4071 |
Eliot L. Engel (NY-16) | 202-225-2464 |
Lois Capps (CA-24) | 202-225-3601 |
Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) | 202-225-2111 |
Jim Matheson (UT-4) | 202-225-3011 |
Gene Green (TX-29) | 202-225-1688 |
G.K. Butterfield (NC-1) | 202-225-3101 |
John Barrow (GA-12) | 202-225-2823 |
Donna M. Christensen (VI) | 202-225-1790 |
Kathy Castor (FL14) | 202-225-3376 |
John Sarbanes (MD-3) | 202-225-4016 |
Henry A. Waxman (CA-33) | 202-225-3976 |
In addition, several Democratic senators are considering jumping aboard giving their support to this bill as well. Please call the following senators if they are in your state and tell them that you oppose this bill:
Al Franken, MN | (202) 224-5641 |
Amy Kiobuchar, MN | (202) 224-3244 |
Debbie Stabenow, MI | (202) 224-4822 |
Carl Levin, MI | (202) 224-6221 |
Richard Durbin, IL | (202) 224-2152 |
We Need To Act NOW! Our Future Depends On It!
It is so scary to me that we have to fight for our rights to have our food labeled. This affects everyone and as a parent I owe it to my children to protect their future of food! I am asking everybody to unite and save our rights to food labeling. First Sign this petition, http://justlabelit.org/
What to Say:
Introduce yourself and say that you are a voter in their district or state. Do not say anything the safety of GMOs or anything health- or sickness-related (this is very important). Instead, tell them you oppose the “Safe & Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014,” and that you support the labeling of genetically engineered foods and the states’ right to make that choice. Ask them to join Peter DeFazio and 66 other co-sponsors to support the DeFazio bill, HR 1699, “the Genetically Engineered Right-to-Know Act” instead.
We need your help and we need you to hurry before our right – and individual state’s rights – to label GMOs is gone for good!
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