OCA Statement on Passage of Bill Denying Consumers Clear, On-Package Labeling of GMOs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2016     

CONTACT: Organic Consumers Association, Katherine Paul, Katherine@organicconsumers.org 207.653.3090

FINLAND, Minn. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) made the following statement today following passage of S.764, a federal bill to preempt Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law.

“Today, Congress trampled on consumer and states’ rights, choosing instead serve the interests of Monsanto and the Grocery Manufacturers Association,” said Ronnie Cummins, international director of OCA. “This bill was written bought and paid for by corporations who clearly have something to hide. Replacing clear, on-package labels with a system that is convoluted, inconvenient and discriminates against the elderly, the poor and anyone without a smartphone or internet access is inexcusable, especially when consumers in 64 other countries have the right to that same information.

“We call on President Obama, who issued an executive order advising Congress not to preempt state laws, to veto this bill, which in addition to preempting Vermont, Maine and Connecticut GMO labeling laws, also preempts more than 100 other state laws. Polls consistently show that more than 90 percent of Americans want GMOs labeled. This bill would exempt the most common GMO ingredients, delay ‘labeling’ by at least another two years, and contrary to what its supporters say, it is not mandatory—it provides no mechanism for enforcement and calls for no penalties for non-compliance.

“We also call on our network of more than 2 million consumers to withdraw their political support from every member of Congress who today voted against consumers’ right to know if their food has been genetically engineered.”

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization advocating on behalf of more than one million consumers for health, justice, and sustainability. The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)4 allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action.