Food and biotechnology giants are accelerating their efforts to thwart legislation that mandates labels for food made with genetically modified ingredients, or GMOs, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Working Group released Tuesday.
In the first quarter of 2014 alone, major food and biotech companies disclosed over $9 million in lobbying expenditures that made reference to GMO labeling, nearly matching the $9.3 million spent in 2013 fighting against similar initiatives in 2013.
According to Environmental Working Group (EWG) policy analyst Libby Foley, this “burst” of political spending can be seen largely as an effort to “muster Congressional support” for a House bill that was introduced in April that would block states from requiring GMO labeling on food packages. As states nationwide have begun to consider ballot proposals that support labeling transparency, Bill H.R.4432—dubbed the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act by critics—threatens those efforts.
Twenty-two of the 26 members of Congress who co-sponsored the DARK Act reportedly received campaign contributions from Super PACs representing the major food and biotech companies, with the lead sponsor, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), being the second-largest recipient of those contributions. Further, 8 of those representatives, including Pompeo, serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over GMO labeling.
“The DARK Act is a blatant attack on consumer and states’ rights, and a clear indication of just how desperate corporations are to protect their profits at the expense of public health and basic democracy,” Katherine Paul, communications director for the Organic Consumers Association, told Common Dreams. However, she noted that the growing support for grassroots labeling initiatives makes it is clear that “corporations are losing this battle, despite their lavish spending.”
In May, Vermont became the first state to require GMO labeling, following the earlier passage of similar laws in Connecticut and Maine, which both require a number of other states to follow suit before they are implemented. Oregon has also placed GMO labeling on its November ballot, and in Colorado citizens are gathering signatures for a similar initiative.
In addition to promoting a legislative block on these ‘right-to-know’ initiatives, this increased political spending roughly coincided with the launch last summer of an industry-backed “information” campaign called GMO Answers. Executives from Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences, and Dupont, among others, have fielded over 600 questions in their online forum meant to “combat consumer fears,” Reuters reports.
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