Originally published January 24 2012
Health Ranger signs 'Just Label It' petition to demand labeling of GMOs on food products
by Selena Keegan
(NaturalNews) Health Ranger Mike Adams, publisher of NaturalNews, has signed the "Just Label It" petition which calls on the FDA to require labeling of genetically engineered foods. The petition currently has about half of the one million signatures sought before its submission to the federal agency.
The Campaign
The "Just Label It" Campaign was initiated by Organic Voices, a group which originated in the spring of 2011 when a group of organic stakeholders met in Washington, DC to discuss the contamination threat posed by genetically engineered crops to organic farming. The campaign represents the largest national effort to make citizen support of GMO labeling apparent to the FDA and urge them take action.
A legal petition (Docket # FDA-2011-P-0723-0001/CP), was written by attorneys at the Center for Food Safety and submitted in September 2011 to the FDA. (Text available here: http://justlabelit.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/gelabelingpetition.pdf)
The Petition
The FDA is taking public comments on the legal petition. Your signature to the grassroots petition will help demonstrate to the agency how urgently the public wants them to act to protect consumers' right to know what is in their food. The petition reads:
"Dear Commissioner Hamburg,
I am writing to urge the FDA to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. I have a right to know about the food I eat and what I feed my family.
In America, we pride ourselves on having choices and making informed decisions. Under current FDA regulations, we don't have that choice when it comes to GE ingredients in the foods we purchase and feed our families. Labeling is essential for me to choose whether or not I want to consume or feed my family genetically engineered foods.
Genetically engineered foods are required to be labeled in 15 European Union nations, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world. As an American, I firmly believe I should also have the right to know if my foods have been genetically engineered.
A recent poll released by ABC News found that 93 percent of the American public wants the federal government to require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. As ABC News stated, 'Such near-unanimity in public opinion is rare.'
I hope you will listen to me and the other 93 percent of the American public who want mandatory labeling. Please show your support for the interests of the American people by labeling genetically engineered foods."
Mike Adams stated his unequivocal support for the petition, "This is a powerful campaign for mandatory GMO labeling, and it moves us all closer to achieving the victory that consumers deserve - full disclosure on food labels." The Health Ranger urges all NaturalNews readers to visit the Just Label It website to electronically sign the petition (http://justlabelit.org/takeaction).
By signing the petition, you will be joining with the Health Ranger, as well with over half a million (and counting) citizens, and with the more than 450 partners sponsoring the petition including the American Academy of Environmental Medicine; Physicians for Social Responsibility; the Pesticide Action Network; the Union of Concerned Scientists; the Organic Consumers Association; Citizens for Health and natural food producers, organic food co-ops and health groups from across the US. You can also add your own comments to the petition, expressing your beliefs about the importance of labeling genetically modified foods.
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