Oregon Senator slams 'Monsanto DARK Act 2.0,' calling it a special interest nightmare that abolishes consumers' right to know about GMOs

Sunday, July 10, 2016 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: DARK Act, GMOs, food labeling

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(NaturalNews) Under the cover of darkness, just hours after Hillary Clinton was handed a get-out-of-jail-free card by the FBI for committing felony crimes, the Senate quietly voted 63–30 to preempt state law in direct violation of the Tenth Amendment, prohibiting individual states like Vermont from enacting mandatory GMO labeling laws passed by voters. And at least one senator (from Oregon) is absolutely outraged.

Senator Jeff Merkley wasn't afraid to call a spade a spade in the aftermath of the treasonous vote, which was further buried in the news cycle by Obama's latest attempt at race-baiting in order to abolish the Second Amendment. Merkley told the media that the so-called Roberts-Stabenow Bill, also known as the Monsanto DARK Act 2.0, is a farce, and will do nothing to protect consumers who want to know what they're eating.

As we've been reporting, S.764 would exempt most GMOs currently in use from having to be indicated on product packaging, which is the whole point of GMO labeling in the first place. The only way consumers would gain access to truth in labeling for those GMOs that aren't exempted is to scan the "smart" codes on certain products with their smartphones, but not everyone has a smartphone or even data coverage, especially in poorer and rural areas.

All the way round, the DARK Act 2.0 is a disaster for truth in labeling, though it's being touted by industry supporters as the labeling bill "we need" – of course, because it isn't actually a labeling bill at all, but rather an un-labeling bill that protects chemical and agriculture corporations from having to properly disclose their hidden additives to consumers.

"How can you have a so-called 'mandatory GMO labeling bill' that doesn't require on-package labels, doesn't cover the most common GMO products, and doesn't mandate a single consequence for companies that don't comply?" Sen. Merkley asked. "The answer is you can't."

Even the FDA recognizes the Monsanto DARK Act 2.0 as a total sham

After conducting an independent review, even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took issue with the contents of the DARK Act 2.0. The legislation's narrow and ambiguous definition of "bioengineering," the agency found, is completely unacceptable because it "will likely mean that many foods from GE [genetically-engineered] sources will not be subject to this bill."

An example of this is oil made from genetically-modified soybeans, which would not have to be labeled because it supposedly contains no genetic materials. Similarly, starches, purified proteins and other common ingredients derived from GM sources would be exempt from labeling. According to the FDA, it "may be difficult" for any GMO food to qualify for labeling under this appalling bill.

"The FDA critique makes it very clear that this is really a non-labeling bill disguised as a labeling bill," stated Center for Food Safety executive director, Andrew Kimbrell. "Preempting the democratically decided upon laws of five states based on this poorly written, discriminatory and ineffective legislation would be a travesty."

To learn how you can grow your own food at home and avoid GMOs completely, check out the latest in urban gardening technology with the vertical Garden Tower.

The senators who voted yes on the bill in betrayal of the American people are as follows:

Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Baldwin (D-WI)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Brown (D-OH)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cotton (R-AR)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Daines (R-MT)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Enzi (R-WY)
Ernst (R-IA)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Franken (D-MN)
Gardner (R-CO)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Hirono (D-HI)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kaine (D-VA)
Kirk (R-IL)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lankford (R-OK)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Moran (R-KS)
Nelson (D-FL)
Perdue (R-GA)
Peters (D-MI)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Warner (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)

Sources for this article include:

KTVZ.com

CenterForFoodSafety.org