Page 14 - the Noise August 2016

NEWSbriefs
by cindy cole
SEDONA CITY COUNCIL - MARTINEZ NEW VICE MAYOR
Having served on Sedona’s City Council since 2009, Vice Mayor Mark DiNunzio re- signed from his seat on June 17 citing personal reasons.
“It has been a pleasure to serve on the City Council with Vice Mayor DiNunzio,” said Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty in a press release dated June 21. “He will be missed greatly in that role. He is always thoughtful, analytical and well prepared. He has served the community with generosity, grace and kindness in many ways over the years, and I’m sure he will continue to do so. I look forward to working with him on whatever occasions may arise in the future.”
His departure will leave one vacant position on the Council until the elections in Novem- ber. Because Mr. DiNunzio left within 30 days of the nomination petition deadline for the upcoming elections, the city is not required to fill the position immediately. However, the council appointed a new Vice Mayor right away.
On June 28, Councilor John Martinez was nominated by Mayor Moriarty and unani- mously approved as the council’s new Vice Mayor. Mr. Martinez has been a member of the city council for the last four years. Mr. Martinez takes on this role as the council considers the controversial issue of moving to a single hauler trash system as well as recent discus- sions on the future of wireless technology propagation throughout the city and the city’s input into suicide prevention options for Midgley Bridge being considered by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
GMO “DARK ACT” ON THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
Legislation to create a national labeling standard for foods containing genetically modi- fied organisms has finally made its way to President Obama’s desk. However, the bill has critics among organic food producers and other anti-GMO activists even though it was en- dorsed by the Organic Trade Association.
On July 14, the US House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 764 by a vote of 306- 117. It had previously passed the US Senate 63-30. At press time, the White House had indicated that the President will sign the bill.
Opponents of the legislation have referred to it as the “Monsanto Protection Act” and the “DARK Act,” or “Deny Americans the Right to Know.” Proponents have cited the safety of GMOs and fear that a patchwork of state labeling standards will be costly and confus- ing for consumers.
SB 764 requires GMOs to be labeled but offers several choices for companies to do so. On- package labeling is one option, which is what anti-GMO activists have been arguing for, as is a yet-to-be-designed symbol to denote the product contains GMOs. Another alternative is the use of a quick response, or QR code that can be scanned with a smart phone or some other form of “digital link” that consumers can refer to for more information. The QR code, which is an unreadable marking of black and white squares, will not need to mention GMOs in any way.
Critics point out that these options constitute a weaker standard than what went into effect in Vermont on July 1 which is clear on-package labeling. If signed by the president, SB 764 will preempt Vermont’s law and prevent any other states from implementing la- beling laws. Eight other states have already passed some kind of labeling measures while more than 20 others have bills under consideration.
The compromise legislation was met with lackluster support from both sides. Richard 12 • {online at thenoise.us} AUGUST 2016 | the best of arizona | the Nöísẽ
photos by wilson ring & lisa rathke
Wilkins, a Delaware farmer and president of the American Soybean Association said, “I don’t think that it’s the best bill we could have, but it’s the best bill we could pass.”
Grocery Manufacturers Association President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey issued a statement praising the bill. “The legislation ensures that consumers get more information about genetically engineered ingredients, prevents a patchwork of confusing and costly state labeling mandates, and provides the same labeling rules to shoppers regardless of where they live or shop,” she said. “It is the right solution to increase disclosure of informa- tion that consumers are seeking without stigmatizing a safe technology that feeds a hungry and growing world.”
In an online statement, the Organic Trade Association said, “While not perfect, this bill covers thousands more products than Vermont’s GMO labeling law and other state initia- tives. It will not allow products that are exempt from informing consumers about their GMO content to automatically slap on a non-GMO claim. And it makes a huge advance in recog- nizing and safeguarding USDA certified organic as the gold standard for transparency and non-GMO status.”
Gary Hirshberg, Chairman of Stonyfield Farm and Just Label It said in a statement that “Just Label It does not support the Roberts-Stabenow GMO Labeling Compromise [SB 764].” He said the labeling bill “falls short of what consumers rightly expect — a simple at-a- glance GMO disclosure on the package. What’s more, the Roberts-Stabenow Compromise contains loopholes that could limit the number of products that must carry a GMO disclo- sure. While we support a national, mandatory GMO labeling system, the legislation passed by the Senate and under consideration by the House does not give American consumers the same simple disclosure used in 64 other nations.”
Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group said, “We’re not supporting the final bill, because it does allow companies to use the option of a QR code.” EWG’s President Ken Cook said that provision would permit food companies “to make a GMO disclosure through a means that is unavailable or unfamiliar to many Americans.”
As a consequence of what some viewed as a betrayal by the OTA, at least one major orga- nization has left the trade association. The Organic Seed Growers And Trade Association announced its departure “when a small number of OTA board members endorsed a danger- ous Senate bill that would immediately preempt existing strong state GMO labeling laws that are widely supported by the Organic community and ninety percent of consumers.”
Maine organic seed farmer and longtime OSGATA President Jim Gerritsen said, “It’s clear that OTA has come under the control of a small group of lobbyists controlled by giant-food corporations that also own organic brands. In an effort to protect their own bottom lines and those of their parent companies, the reckless actions of these large parent-owned or- ganic companies threaten the survival of organic farmers and the organic community we have all worked so hard for decades to build.”
Several large food manufacturers had previously announced they would begin labeling GMOs as the effective date of the Vermont law loomed near including Campbell’s Soup Com- pany, General Mills, Mars, Kellogg Company and ConAgra Foods. However, Coca-Cola warned consumers in Vermont that some of its products may be temporarily unavailable as they will have to be pulled from shelves to avoid penalties under the state’s new labeling law.