To: President Donald Trump
President Obama: Pledge to Veto the DARK Act!
Dear President Obama,
Please veto any bill that comes out of the Congress that would preempt Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law, which was enacted on July 1.
The Senate has produced a “compromise” federal labeling law that is being misrepresented as a “uniform, mandatory labeling solution.” House members have indicated they will support this bill.
In a campaign speech you gave in 2007, in Iowa, you said, “Here’s what I’ll do as President . . . . We’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified, because Americans should know what they’re buying.”
On May 20, 2009, you issued an Executive Order to heads of executive departments and agencies stating that “preemption of State law by executive departments and agencies should be undertaken only with full consideration of the legitimate prerogatives of the States and with a sufficient legal basis for preemption.”
Vermont’s law is working. Corporations are already printing the words “produced with genetic engineering” on labels.
The latest version of the federal bill would leave consumers in the dark for at least another two years. It has no enforcement mechanism, and calls for no penalties for non-compliance. It is allows corporations to substitute electronic codes for clear on-package labels—this would discriminate against anyone who can’t afford a smartphone or doesn’t have reliable internet service.
The FDA points out that this bill would exempt most of the common genetically engineered ingredients from even requiring to be “labeled” behind convoluted, confusing QR codes.
GMOs are required to be labeled in 64 other countries. But despite the fact that nine out of 10 Americans say they want this information, thanks to nearly $400 million in lobbying by the biotech and food industries, Congress wants to keep this information hidden from Americans.
Please veto this unpopular, discriminatory, deeply flawed bill. Thank you.
Why is this important?
The Senate has passed an anti-consumer bill designed to keep consumers in the dark about the GMOs in their food, and the House has indicated it will support the bill, even though Senate Ag Chair Mike Conaway admits the bill is "riddled with ambiguity."
This bill would also preempt more than 100 other state food safety and labeling laws!
It would delay labeling for at least another 2 years. It would exempt most of the common GMO ingredients. It allows companies to hide information about GMOs behind confusing electronic codes that discriminate against anyone without a smartphone or internet access.
And contrary to claims by its supporters, this bill is not mandatory--it contains no mechanism for enforcement and comes with no penalties for non-compliance.
If Congress passes this bill, opposed by nine out of 10 Americans, our last resort will be a veto by President Obama.
In a campaign speech Obama gave in 2007, in Iowa, he said, “Here’s what I’ll do as President . . . . We’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified, because Americans should know what they’re buying.”
On May 20, 2009, Obama issued an Executive Order to heads of executive departments and agencies stating that “preemption of State law by executive departments and agencies should be undertaken only with full consideration of the legitimate prerogatives of the States and with a sufficient legal basis for preemption.”
A court has already ruled that Vermont's law is constitutional. Vermont’s law is working. Corporations are already printing the words “produced with genetic engineering” on labels.
If Congress is concerned about creating a uniform mandatory labeling standard, Congress should support a federal bill that is as strong or stronger than Vermont's law--not one that is unenforceable, full of loopholes, and allows companies to hide information behind confusing symbols.
GMOs are required to be labeled in 64 other countries. But despite the fact that nine out of 10 Americans say they want this information, thanks to nearly $400 million in lobbying by the biotech and food industries, Congress wants to keep this information hidden from Americans.
Please ask President Obama to veto this anti-consumer, discriminatory, deeply flawed DARK Act.