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With no federal laws requiring
the testing or labeling of geneti-
cally engineered foods, Ameri-
can citizens, largely via grass-
roots efforts, have had to speak
up for themselves on this matter.
There are currently eight GMO-
free zones in the U.S: Trinity,
Santa Cruz, Marin, Mendocino
and Humboldt counties, all in California; Jackson and Jefferson
counties in Oregon, and Maui,
Hawaii. The states that have
passed mandatory labeling laws
are Connecticut, Maine and Ver-
mont. Alaska has required label-
ing of any genetically-modified
salmon sold in the state since
2005. These have been hard
fought and won pieces of legis-
lation by the people and for the
people. There is additional legis-
lation for mandatory GMO label-
ing pending in 35 states. Shock-
ingly, all of these hard earned laws
and regulations are in danger of being overturned.
In July, the House of Representatives passed The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, legislation that opponents coined The DARK Act, which is an acronym for Deny Americans the Right to Know. This bill, if voted into law, would actually block states from labeling foods as having genetically engineered ingredients, and even negate any GMO labeling laws that have already been passed. In fact, “The preemption language in the bill would nullify over a hundred local laws that, directly or indirectly, regulate genetically engineered crops.”(1)
This is because federal law trumps a law below it, such as a state or local law.
The timing of this federal bill is suspect, at best. It arrived on the heels of Vermont’s GMO labeling law, which is slated go into effect July, 2016, and would require labels for all foods con- taining genetically engineered ingredients. When industry groups were unable to block the Vermont ruling at the state lev- el, this federal bill was a savvy political response. If passed into law it would serve to quash any GMO legislation arising across
the county completely.
It seems like a subversion of democracy when the federal government takes action in op- position to the clear message that its citizens have sent.
22 Harvest 2015
www.edibleorangecounty.com
The question of a GMO label- ing law is now under review in the Sen- ate, which has not addressed the topic in over a decade. A Senate committee held a Representatives passed hearing this past October in anticipation of an upcoming Senate version of The The Safe and Accurate Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, to widespread complaint that the speaker lineup did not contain a consumer rep- resentative and was heavily stacked against labeling. Gary Hirshberg, Chair- man of the group Just Label It, was the only speaker there in favor of mandatory GMO labeling. He stated, “This change in our entire food system has happened in less than a generation with no citi- zen or consumer input. 64 other nations have solved this problem with mandatory
In July, the House of
Food Labeling Act of 2015, legislation that opponents coined The DARK Act, which is an acronym for Deny Americans the Right to Know.