The DARK Act: Monsanto’s Dream Come True, a Waking Nightmare for Clean Food and the Environment

By Carolanne Wright

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

In a startling victory for Monsanto, the United States House of Representatives, against enormous public and industry outcry, passed H.R. 1599 — widely known as the “Deny Americans the Right to Know Act” or “The Dark Act.” This decision comes despite the opposition of over 300 farmer, environmental and consumer groups who opposed the bill in a letter to Congress, not to mention disapproval from the National Farmers Union, America’s second largest farming organization. Don’t also forget that 93% of respondents in a 2013 New York Times poll were also supportive of mandatory labeling for genetically engineered food.

And yet, House members decided to push through the “mother of all Monsanto protection acts,” which will invalidate the existing mandatory GMO labeling laws in any state — like the one in Vermont — and preempt any future state and federal GMO bans and labeling laws.

Observes Ronnie Cummins, International Director of the Organic Consumers Association, our so-called representatives have “voted against truth and transparency, against science, against the more than century-old right of states to legislate on matters relating to food safety and labeling. They voted against the 90-percent of Americans who are in favor of mandatory labeling of GMOs. They voted against the producers of non-GMO foods. They voted against you.”

‘Safe and Accurate’ Food Labeling Act of 2015

The summary of the bill itself offers several points which illustrate how this legislation has everything to do with protecting biotechnology and nothing to do with consumer welfare:

This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the developer of a bioengineered organism intended as food to submit a premarket biotechnology notification to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A “bioengineered organism” (commonly called a “genetically modified organism” or “GMO”) is a plant or part of a plant that has been modified through recombinant DNA techniques in a way that could not be obtained using conventional breeding techniques.

The premarket notification must include the developer’s determination that food from, containing, or consisting of the GMO (GMO food) is as safe as a comparable non-GMO food. For the GMO to be sold as food, the FDA must not object to the developer’s determination. If the FDA determines that there is a material difference between a GMO food and a comparable non-GMO food, the FDA can specify labeling that informs consumers of the difference.

A food label can only claim that a food is non-GMO if the ingredients are subject to certain supply chain process controls. No food label can suggest that non-GMO foods are safer than GMO foods. A food can be labeled as non-GMO even if it is produced with a GMO processing aid or enzyme or derived from animals fed GMO feed or given GMO drugs.

The FDA must allow, but not require, GMO food to be labeled as GMO.

The FDA must regulate the use of “natural” on food labels.

This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require the Agricultural Marketing Service to establish a program tocertify non-GMO food.

This bill preempts state and local restrictions on GMOs or GMO food and labeling requirements for GMOs, GMO food, non-GMO food, or “natural” food. 

In a nutshell, the legislation requires the burden of proof as to the safety of genetically modified ingredients to reside with the developer of the product. Forget independent peer-reviewed studies. If Monsanto claims their genetically modified creations are safe, they must be. And don’t rely on the FDA to have your back since the agency has close industry ties to biotechnology.

Even if you believe you are purchasing a completely GMO-free product — thanks to this bill — you will never fully know the truth for the simple reason that the food or animal can be treated with genetically modified enzymes and drugs or fed GMO feed. The legislation will also allow products to be labeled “natural,” regardless of if they contain genetically modified material, further confusing the issue and misleading the public into believing the product is something that it most certainly is not.

CONTINUE READING:

Previous articles by Carolanne Wright:

• Big Pharma and Organized Crime — They are More Similar Than You May Think
• Glyphosate Nation: Troublesome Roundup Herbicide Found Throughout U.S. Food Supply – Organics Too
• Is Roundup Driving The Autism Epidemic? Leading MIT Researcher Says YES
• Over 100 Scientific Studies Agree: Cannabis Annihilates Cancer
• Emotional Energetic Healing: The Future of Medicine is Here
• Why Every Parent Should Consider Unschooling
• The Greenhouse of the Future: Grow Your Own Food Year-Round With This Revolutionary System
• First U.S. City Produces More Electricity Than It Uses — With 100% Renewable Technology
• Autistic Boy with Higher IQ Than Einstein Discovers Gift After Removal from State-Run Therapy
• Enhance Spiritual, Mental and Physical Well-being with a Pineal Gland Detox
• DIY $2 Self-Watering Garden Bed – Grow Produce Easily, Even in the Toughest Conditions
• How Being Too Clean Can Lead to Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Celiac Disease and More

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