Huge win for Americans: DARK Act officially defeated!
03/16/2016 / By Julie Wilson
Today marks a beautiful and victorious day for the organic industry, health food advocates and consumers alike. A bill that would have stripped individual states of their right to label GMOs has been narrowly defeated in the Senate.
Coined the “DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act” by its opponents, the bill is overwhelmingly anti-public-health, anti-American and anti-consumer in that it would have concealed the presence of genetically modified ingredients in food products.
Genetically altered foods have been linked to organ damage, reproductive failure, digestive dysfunction, impaired immunity, cancer, allergies and other health problems.
Authored by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), the DARK Act represents an out-right war on the free market as organic and non-GMO food products soar in popularity and demand. The majority of polls show that more than 90 percent of Americans support GMO labeling.
A recent poll shows that 89 percent of likely 2016 voters favor labels that say whether or not food products contain genetically engineered foods or ingredients, according to the Center for Food Safety.
An altered version of the DARK Act passed the House of Representatives last summer 275–150. In order to pass the Senate, it needed 60 votes; however, it felt short, receiving only 44 votes, reported Common Dreams.
Not only would the bill have prevented states from passing their own GMO-labeling laws, but it would have reversed any current legislation, including a law passed by Vermont in 2014, which is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2016.
Here’s a glimpse of the celebrations taking place on Twitter:
Breaking News! The #DarkAct has just been defeated in the Senate. Thank you for your incredible activism! Your… https://t.co/EwfzzIxPxP
— Food Babe (@thefoodbabe) March 16, 2016
The DARK Act is dead! Thank you for your commitment to the #RightToKnow movement. The Senate has heard our voices. pic.twitter.com/oXZ8UAxb1o
— Non-GMO Project (@NonGMOProject) March 16, 2016
Huge Victory for American Consumers: Senate Rejects #DARKAct
https://t.co/kpVFsU1Gjk— Common Dreams (@commondreams) March 16, 2016
BREAKING: Senate votes NO on Cloture for The DARK Act, an attempt to put in place a bogus national standard for… https://t.co/EuxoT1TEaJ
— GMO Free USA (@GMOFreeUSA) March 16, 2016
Sources:
Tagged Under: DARK Act, food labeling, food safety, GMO labeling, GMOs, government, Monsanto, Newstarget, Senate, United States
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