Rep. Pompeo lies to American citizens while passing bill that bans GMO labeling

(NaturalNews) Big Biotech seems to have found a political front man in Kansas Republican Representative Mike Pompeo, whose relentless efforts to kill the GMO labeling movement are being driven by his many industry sponsors, including the anti-labeling group Koch Industries.

The "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015," authored by Pompeo, also known as the DARK Act (Denying Americans the Right to Know), was recently passed by the House of Representatives in a 275-150 vote, where it will now move on to the Senate. If passed, the bill will render null any state-level GMO labeling laws like those passed in Hawaii, Oregon and Connecticut.

Pompeo is not only in full support of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) being laced into foods without proper labeling, he also thinks mandatory labeling would somehow be "anti-science." Here's one of the many lies Pompeo has been caught repeating in the media:

"Precisely zero pieces of credible evidence have been presented that foods produced with biotechnology pose any risk to our health and safety. We should not raise prices on consumers based on the wishes of a handful of activists."

GMO Myths and Truths report full of evidence showing GMO dangers

First of all, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that biotech novelties like Roundup-Ready Bt corn, for instance, are harmful to mammals. Multiple animal studies, including a paper looking at Monsanto's MON 863 Bt corn, found that certain GM substances and proteins can trigger both allergic reactions and immune responses.

The "GMO Myths and Truths" report, a 330-page document put together by EarthOpenSource, is also replete with scientific evidence that GMOs are harmful to humans and the environment. The report outlines the mutagenic nature of genetic modification, and explains that there is virtually no evidence whatsoever that GMOs are safe.

"Genetically modified (GM) crops and foods are promoted on the basis of a range of far-reaching claims from the industry and its supporters," explains EarthOpenSource. "However, a large and growing body of scientific and other authoritative evidence shows that these claims are not true. On the contrary, evidence presented in this report indicates that GM crops:

• Are laboratory-made, using technology that is totally different from natural breeding methods, and pose different risks from non-GM crops
• Can be toxic, allergenic or less nutritious than their natural counterparts
• Are not adequately regulated to ensure safety
• Do not increase yield potential
• Do not reduce pesticide use but increase it
• Create serious problems for farmers, including herbicide-tolerant "superweeds", compromised soil quality, and increased disease susceptibility in crops
• Have mixed economic effects and disrupt markets
• Harm soil quality, disrupt ecosystems, and reduce biodiversity
• Do not offer effective solutions to climate change
• Are as energy-hungry as any other chemically-farmed crops
• Cannot solve the problem of world hunger but distract from its real causes -- poverty, lack of access to food and, increasingly, lack of access to land to grow it on

Grocery Manufacturers Association, Koch Brothers and Monsanto select Rep. Pompeo as GMO spokesman

Pompeo must have missed all this when Koch Industries, in partnership with Monsanto, began waving around dollar bills as incentive to promote GMOs on false claims that they're 100% safe. According to OpenSecrets, Pompeo has taken in nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions during this current legislative cycle, $114,000 of which came from Koch Industries.

Pompeo was actually recruited by the anti-labeling Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) to counter "right to know" laws with bills like the DARK Act, according to the Center for Food Safety (CFS), which notes that Pompeo was the single largest recipient of campaign funds from the Koch Brothers in 2010.

"GMA's selection of Congressman Pompeo as their champion shows how extreme the proposal really is," said Colin O'Neil, director of government affairs for Center for Food Safety. "Selecting Pompeo creates an unholy alliance between Monsanto and Koch Industries, two of the most reviled corporations in America."

Find more articles on GMO Food news at gmofood.news

Sources:

thehill.com

kansas.com

cera-gmc.org

responsibletechnology.org

nongmoproject.org

opensecrets.org

centerforfoodsafety.org