Page 10 - April 2016

BY cindy cole
GMOinside.org reported the Senate votes of March 16. The Wall Street Journal noted record GMO crop planting in 2015.
activists advocating for mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified or- ganisms scored a significant victory March 16 when the Us senate failed to pass legisla- tion commonly known as the “DARK” Act or “Deny Americans the Right to Know.”
Also referred to as “The Monsanto Protection Act” this legislation would have prevented indi- vidual states from demanding that food manufacturers label products that contain GMO ingre- dients. while the vote was a close one with 48 Yays and 49 nays, the bill would have required a three-fifths majority in order to pass, or 60 out of 100 votes. Both of Arizona’s senators sup- ported the bill. This is a significant blow to those who have been trying to prevent Vermont’s impending mandatory labeling law from taking effect.
Vermont is one of three states that have enacted a mandatory GMO labeling law but will be the first to implement its requirements. while the labeling fight is far from over, Vermont’s fast approaching start date of July 1 is certainly causing an industry-wide stir.
Mike Adams, founder and editor of NaturalNews.com, credited the victory to grassroots ef- forts by citizens concerned with the labeling issue. “I spoke to industry insiders this morning,” he wrote on his website the day of the failed senate vote, “who confirmed that the offices of many Us senators were hit hard with a ‘tidal wave of calls’ from concerned Americans. even many Republican senators are starting to come around on this issue, and GMO labeling contin- ues to gain steam across the country as food consumers increase their demand for honest food labels and overall food transparency.”
while there are 64 countries around the world that require GMO foods to be labeled, the Us has been fighting a civil war on the issue thanks to big money opposition from the agro-chemical and corporate food manufacture industries. efforts to enact legislation similar to Vermont’s have been fought in other states over the last few years, including California and Oregon. But high- dollar campaigns launched in those states by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents chemical companies including Monsanto and Dow Agrosciences and food companies including Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Heinz, and Hershey, defeated attempts to require GMO labels.
Two other states are already on board the mandatory labeling train — Connecticut and Maine. But while those states have passed their own labeling laws, both contain “trigger” clauses that require other states to take action before their own laws will take effect. Legislative efforts are already underway in both states to remove the triggers and
follow Vermont’s lead of implementing mandatory labeling independently but lawmak- ers in both states are divided on the issue.
Connecticut’s trigger clause requires at least four other northeast states with a combined population of at least 20 million to pass mandatory labeling laws before it will take action. But Connecticut is halfway there with the passing of Vermont’s and Maine’s laws.
Maine also requires five other northeastern states to take action with at least one border- ing state included. As new Hampshire is the only state that borders Maine, efforts in other states won’t mean anything unless new Hampshire legislators decide to act. Maine GMO la- beling advocates are working to either remove the trigger or at least extend the sunset date a few more years to give new Hampshire a chance to catch up.
Massachusetts is close to passing its own GMO labeling legislation but also has included a trigger clause. If passed, the Massachusetts law will require at least five other northeastern states to have passed GMO labeling laws, including at least one bordering state. with Ver- mont, Connecticut, and Maine already committed, Massachusetts is well on the way, espe- cially since the bordering state requirement has already been met.
At the federal level, the defeat of the DARK Act is a big victory for GMO labeling proponents. “now that the DARK Act been rejected by the senate,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Just Label It and Stonyfield Farm, “I am optimistic that Congress can come together to find a real solution for consumers that is mandatory, national and gives consumers the information they want about
the food they are eating. Any solution has to work for both consumers and for industry.”
A start in that direction has come in the form of the introduction of new labeling legis-
lation in the senate by Agriculture Committee members Jeff Merkley (Ranking Minority member, D-OR) Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The “Biotechnology Food Labeling and Uniformity Act” would create a federal mandatory labeling standard. The bill offers several options for food manufacturers to note GMOs on labels including using a parenthesis or asterisk following an individual ingredient stating that it is “genetically engineered” or using a blanket “produced with genetic engineering” statement at the end of the ingredients list.
In a press release announcing the new bill, Mr. Merkley said, “Rather than blocking consum-
ers’ access to information they want, the Us senate should move forward with a solution that works for businesses and consumers alike. There is a way to give consumers the information they are asking for without placing unfair or conflicting requirements on food producers. This legislation provides the common-sense pathway forward.” Organizations supporting the bill include Just Label It, Consumers Union, Amy’s Kitchen, Ben and Jerry’s, Campbell’s soup Com- pany, and nature’s Path.
Major Companies Deciding to Start Voluntary Labeling
It started out slowly but, following the defeat of the DARK Act in the Us senate, there has been a flood of companies surrendering to state-based mandatory labeling efforts on their own. In 2013, Whole Foods Markets — the supermarket chain that specializes in “natural” and
organic foods — gave a five year ultimatum to companies that wanted their products in its stores. By 2018, whole Foods proclaimed, any items on its shelves that contain GMOs will have to be labeled accordingly. The move was met with mixed reviews from activists on both sides but it was the first time a major corporation had made such a statement.
Later that year restaurant chain Chipotle began to voluntarily disclose the presence of GMOs in its offerings and proclaimed that it would move to non-GMO sources for all of its products.
non-GMO advocacy groups like Just Label it and GMO Inside began public campaigns with heavy emphasis on social media pressuring individual companies to remove GMOs from their products.
Then in January 2014, General Mills announced that it would remove GMO derived beet sugar (generally labeled simply as “sugar”) and corn starch from their signature breakfast cereal Cheerios. The company claimed that this was a fairly easy fix because Cheerios contained only a small amount of those ingredients. not long after General Mills’ move, Post Foods declared that its popular Grape-nuts cereal would be GMO free. Later in 2014, Ben & Jerry’s vowed to remove GMOs from its ice creams.
In 2015, Hershey Company declared that it would move some of its goods to “simpler” in- gredients. It vowed to remove GMOs from its popular Kisses and Milk Chocolate Bars by the end of the year. To date, those products no longer contain genetically modified high fructose corn syrup and the company is working on sourcing non-GMO sugar and dairy products.
In January of this year, Campbell’s Soup Company — whose brands in addition to soups include Pace, Prego, Pepperidge Farm, Plum Organics, swanson, V8, Goldfish and spaghettiO’s — made a major break from the rest of the corporate food industry by stating that they would begin on-label disclosure of the presence of GMOs in its foods. Campbell’s will include the
phrase “partially produced with genetic engineering” on any of its products that contain GMOs. The company also announced that it would no longer participate in the GMA’s efforts to block GMO labeling initiatives. Campbell’s stance on the safety of GMOs hasn’t changed — the
company maintains their value and safety on its website — but a combination of Vermont’s im- pending law and perhaps a bit of financial fatigue from fighting the issue with big money con- tributions caused it to make the labeling move. while other GMO advocates initially viewed the move as risky, several other companies changed their stance once the DARK Act failed to get by the Us senate.
Days after the senate vote, General Mills — the makers of Yoplait, nature’s Valley, Chex and Betty Crocker brands — said it will also begin voluntary labeling of GMOs. The company stated that implementing label changes nationwide would be more cost effective than making the revisions only for products sold in Vermont. The new labels will be rolling out in the coming months across all of the company’s product lines. Like many of its big food counterparts, Gen- eral Mills has also spent the last few years buying up smaller organic brands. It currently owns Annie’s Homegrown, Cascadian Farms and Larabar, none of which contain GMO ingredients. In addition, the company added a tool to its website that will allow consumers to determine which of its products contain GMOs and which do not.
“All sides of this debate, 20 years of research, and every major health and safety agency in the world agree that GMOs are not a health or safety concern,” said General Mills Vice President Jeff Harmening. “At the same time, we know that some consumers are interested in knowing which products contain GMO ingredients.”
The same day General Mills made its announcement, Mars declared that it will imple- ment GMO labeling nationally as well. Mars products include M&Ms, Twix and snickers candies as well as Uncle Ben’s rice and wrigley gum. Three days later, Kellogg’s joined the quickly growing group of companies submitting to nationwide voluntary labeling. It seems the little state of Vermont, with its population of just over 600,000, has become the slayer of giants in the fight to label GMOs.
10 • APRIL 2016 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us
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