The fight for mandatory GMO labeling

 

The U.S. Senate has finally moved forward with a federal bill on GMO labeling. Big agriculture and corporate food have been lobbying for this Senate bill number 2609 for months, along with industry allies, such as Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). On March 1, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry approved the bill after a hearing titled “Biotechnology Labeling Solutions Markup.” The bill moves to the next stage in the Senate — most likely for a final vote.

 

This labeling bill will not lead to consumer information or transparency about food, however. In fact, it is an effort to thwart these initiatives.

 

This bill would establish a “national voluntary bioengineered food labeling standard with respect to (A) any bioengineered food; and (B) any food that could have been bioengineered, or may have been produced or developed using bioengineering.” In other words, labeling would be voluntary. We already have this system. In fact, Campbell

Soup Company has decided voluntarily to label its own products. (“Campbell Labels Will Disclose GMO Ingredients” New York Times 1/7/2016). We don’t need a federal bill for voluntary labeling that leaves it up to the companies to decide. We need a bill requiring all GMO foods or foods containing a GMO ingredient to be labeled.

 

This bill would prohibit states from passing their own labeling laws, such as the one we are fighting for in New York State. The most worrisome to big agriculture and industrial-food corporations is the law that already passed in Vermont, which will go into effect this July. (“GMO Labeling Law Worries Food Groups” U.S. News & World Report 2/4/2016). The real motivation behind this bill is to make sure that states don’t pass their own labeling laws as Vermont has done.

 

In New York State efforts continue to move the state bill through the Assembly (A.617 Rosenthal) and the Senate (S.485 LaValle). We continue to face opposition in Albany from big agriculture and the industrial food lobbies. Just as in Washington, they are spreading misinformation and using scare tactics to try to prevent our elected officials from voting in the interest of transparency and consumer information.

 

The industrial food corporations have been trying to scare consumers and elected officials from labeling by claiming that it would lead to dramatic increases in food cost. However, several reports have concluded that this is not the case. The best one I’ve seen is from Consumers Union. The Environmental Working Group has a list of other reports reaching similar conclusions.

 

Elected officials are being told that GMOs are proven safe and beneficial through scientific research, but more and more evidence of the close collaboration of publicly funded researchers and the corporations that benefit from their “science” is emerging. The New York Times recently published an article called “Food industry Enlisted Academics in GMO lobbying War, Emails Show.” It discloses Ken Folta and his collaboration with Monsanto. The industry claims that there is nothing wrong with GMOs and that they are safe. But adequate long-term and cumulative analysis continues to be lacking, mostly because that’s how the corporations want it.

 

For example, an article from Scientific American, “Do Seed Companies Control GM Crop Research?” 8/1/2009 discloses how companies strictly forbid independent research on seeds. They do this under the guise of patent law and proprietary rights. As the article indicates, “only studies that the seed companies have approved ever see the light of a peer-reviewed journal.”

 

Last year, a petition in support of labeling with over 40,000 signatures was delivered to elected officials in Albany. Numerous polls indicate that approximately 90% of people surveyed want labeling. Yet this battle has been ongoing in Albany for over two years, and still no bill has moved through the state assembly or senate. A report from the New York Public Interest Group reported that “opponents of GMO food labeling legislation spent over $3.2 million lobbying New York policymakers in 2013, outspending supporters by nearly 7 to 1.”

 

In addition, the report indicated “opponents of GMO food labeling legislation contributed more than $460,000 in campaign donations in 2013. Sixty percent of these campaign dollars originated outside of New York State. No campaign contributions were made by groups publicly supporting the bill. Could that be why elected officials are skittish of supporting labeling even as their constituents overwhelmingly support it?

 

There are ways you can help move our state forward with mandatory labeling of GMOs and fight prohibitions of labeling at the federal level:

 

Make sure you call, email, and/or write your elected officials. Tell them you want mandatory labeling of all foods that include a GMO ingredient — refer to the bill numbers listed above

 

This is an effective way to let officials know your position, get attention focused on the issue, and engage people who may not be paying attention to it. The best time to write such a letter is soon after a GMO-related article appears in the paper. (Join the June 2nd coalition call to learn more about LTEs!) 

 

Make sure you attend any local meetings with your elected official when she/he makes time to meet with constituents. Or, you can set up a meeting and let them know what you think about the issue.

*publications.dyson.cornell.edu/docs/labelingNY.pdf

*www.ewg.org/key-issues/food/gefoods/proce

 

We have access to screening rights for the film GMO OMG. Just email me at riddleriddle@gmail.com to see how to set up a screening. It’s a powerful film and a wonderful opportunity to introduce people to this issue. 

 

If anyone wants more information or to be on my email list for future state or federal action, let me know. Also, if you haven’t signed our online petition yet, go to  newyork.sierraclub.org. 

 

Thanks

Erin Riddle, Chair

Farm & Food Committee