Originally published September 8 2015
How GMO junk food industry is trying to trick pro-labeling Americans into supporting DARK Act
by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Much of what's driving support for the so-called "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015," which you might better recognize under the more aptly-titled moniker of the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act, is coming as a result of blatant industry deception, not grassroots enthusiasm.
A Southern California woman says she was recently targeted by an industry front group that presented the DARK Act as a bill in support of mandatory labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) when, in fact, the bill is about pushing the exact opposite. Julie Freitas, 66, told The Organic & Non-GMO Report that she was tricked into supporting the DARK Act by a representative from the "Coalition for Safe Affordable Food" (CSAF), one of seven industry front groups deliberately misleading pro-labeling Americans into supporting H.R. 1599.
Reaching her by phone, a CSAF rep asked Freitas a series of questions, including her views on GMO labeling. When she told the man that she supported mandatory GMO labeling, he misled her into thinking that H.R. 1599 aligns with her views, and asked her to write a letter to her local Congressman urging his support.
"He indicated that people should know what's in their food," she stated. "He asked if I would be willing to sign a letter about labeling GMOs. I said 'yes.' I am interesting in food being labeled so the public knows what is in the food they eat."
Coalition for Safe Affordable Food forges woman's signature on letter asking Congressman to support DARK Act
But as you probably know, the DARK Act is about concealing the presence of GMOs in food, not about improving transparency. It's an antagonist bill to the many state-level labeling initiatives such as those already passed in Connecticut and Vermont, which are set to go into effect next year, as it threatens to render them null and void.
"Far from establishing mandatory GMO labeling, H.R. 1599 would block state GMO labeling initiatives, establish meaningless voluntary GMO labeling, allow the USDA to implement a weak certification program for non-GMO foods, and allow food manufacturers to label products as 'natural' even if they contain GM ingredients," reveals The Organic & Non-GMO Report.
But Freitas didn't know this at the time, and her name was affixed by CSAF, without her knowledge, into a letter written by the group to Congressman Tony Cardenas, something she never would have agreed to had she known what the group was doing.
According to The Organic & Non-GMO Report, Freitas received a "Rush-Priority Express" envelope in the mail not long after speaking to CSAF via phone. Inside, a pre-written, personalized letter urging Representative Cardenas to support H.R. 1599, complete with Freitas' signature at the bottom, stated that the:
"FDA was the logical solution to regulating genetically modified foods entering our food supply," asking Rep. Cardenas to "Please join me in supporting the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 to make sure groceries remain affordable and to ensure the safety of all Americans.
Upon reading this, Freitas was outraged.
"These would not be my words," she stated. "I would never say anything like that. I didn't know that he would be endorsing that the FDA be the agency overseeing labeling. I don't favor the FDA's method of ensuring foods are labeled properly, and I wouldn't sign or send these papers to Tony Cardenas."
Read Organic & Non-GMO Report exposing pro-GMO deception pushing passage of DARK Act
The Organic & Non-GMO Report reveals this and other deceptive methods that groups like CSAF and others are using to trick Americans into supporting anti-labeling legislation like the DARK Act. The report, entitled Seedy Business: What Big Food is hiding with its slick PR campaign on GMOs, is available for viewing here: NON-GMOReport.com
Read unfiltered GMO news at GMOFood.news
Sources for this article include:
NON-GMOReport.com
NON-GMOReport.com
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