The DARK Act fight: It’s not over yet!

Monsanto and other biotech companies are continuing to push for a bill to cut off your right to know what’s in your food. Thanks to people like you who spoke up, we stopped the DARK Act in March — but the fight is not yet over.

 

As you know, the bill, dubbed the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act, would preempt state GMO labeling laws, taking power away from our state legislatures.

 

Although Senator Roberts couldn’t muster enough votes to pass the bill earlier this year, Big Food Corporations are gearing up for another push.

 

In place of state laws for mandatory, on-package labeling, the DARK Act would continue the failed approach of voluntary labeling, together with secretive QR codes, websites, and call-in numbers, none of which serve to inform the majority of consumers about what is in their food.

 

Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law goes into effect on July 1, and the pressure from the Big Food Corporations to pass Monsanto’s Dream Bill is stronger than ever.  Please take action, even if you have before!

 

Take Action!

Call or email both of your U.S. Senators to urge them to oppose Senator Pat Roberts’ bill or any compromise that doesn’t mandate on-package labels for genetically engineered foods.

 

You can look up who your Senators are and find their contact information:

Here’s a sample script for a call:

 

Hi, my name is ___, and I am a constituent. I urge Senator _____ to vote against S. 2609, which would block mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.  I urge the Senator to stand up for both states’ rights and individuals’ rights to know.

 

We have a right to know what is in our food so that we can make educated decisions about the food we eat. The free market can only work when consumers have the information they need to make informed choices among different products.  Without mandatory on-package labeling, consumers are effectively being defrauded.

The use of a bar code or QR code is not a valid substitute for mandatory labels. Over a third of all Americans don’t even own smartphones and could not read such codes. And many of those who own smartphones are not familiar with QR codes and wouldn’t even know that the information was available.

Moreover, QR codes are extremely burdensome for consumers. With on-package labeling, you can quickly find the information you need on the package — simple, fast, and practical. Under the industry’s proposal, the shopper needs to pull out his or her smartphone (while still holding the package of food), open up an app, wait for the camera to focus on the bar code, wait for a webpage to load, and then search the website for the relevant information.

 

There’s no real benefit to QR codes, since food manufacturers will still have to track which products have GMO ingredients. The real reason industry is pushing for QR codes instead of physical labels is to continue to keep the majority of consumers in the dark about what they’re eating.

 

I urge Senator ___ to vote against S. 2609 or any bill that would block state laws for mandatory physical labels on GMO foods.

 

A phone call is more effective than an email. If you do send an email, please replace the opening few lines with your own personalized message — personal messages have more impact than form emails.

 

You can also download our fact sheet on the House version of the bill at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/hr-1599-fact-sheet to send as an attachment to your email, or as a follow up to your call.