I am writing about Sen. Michael Bennet’s, D-Denver, “Yes” vote for the “DARK” act (Denying Americans the Right to Know) regarding genetically-modified organisms (GMO) labeling. Though called a “mandatory GMO labeling bill,” it’s actually a GMO non-labeling bill, making it illegal for a state to require GMO labeling.
The Vermont law, passed a few years ago and that withstood legal challenges, had just gone into effect July 1. It required these few simple words: “produced with genetic engineering,” Foods with GMOs were already being labeled all over the country to comply. This is devastating to those of us working on this issue for as long as 20 years, when GMOs showed up in unlabeled foods. That’s five or six years before food allergies, gluten and digestive problems and food insensitivities exploded, as did pesticide and herbicide use.
Wanting GMOs labeled is not anti-GMO! It’s simply about us knowing what’s in our food. Bennet received almost $450,000 in donations from big agriculture and biotech and was clearly bought and paid for. Even Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, voted against this bill. Apparently he respects the rights of over 90 percent of his constituents and respects states’ rights.
This new “mandatory” labeling law is a sham; It’s entirely voluntary, won’t go into effect for two years, has no penalty for non-compliance and excludes hundreds of products containing GMOs. Instead of clear on-package labeling, QR codes are on the package.
Therefore a busy mom, while shopping, has to use a smartphone to scan the label, have the right app, internet service and waste time researching each product.
This is such a travesty and shows how corrupt our system is that allows politicians to receive unlimited donations in exchange for votes.
President Obama is our last hope to veto this bill. Sen. Bennet chose to be on the wrong side of history and put his re-election before his constituents. Politicians who do this should be taught a lesson. Then we can have a real democracy that works for everyone, not just the richest donors buying politicians’ votes.
Julie C. Meadows
Durango
