[Occupymendocino] [Fwd: Breaking: GMO Labeling introduced in Congress!]

[agnes at mcn.org]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Breaking: GMO Labeling introduced in Congress!
From:    "Sarah Alexander, Food & Water Watch" <act at fwwatch.org>
Date:    Thu, February 12, 2015 3:54 pm
To:      agnes at mcn.org
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Food & Water Watch



Breaking: Champions Introduce Important New Legislation!

Ask Your Members of Congress to Support Bills to Label Genetically
Engineered Foods!

http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=QeNwDZXuCS9HbPnUPU726Q

Dear Agnes,

Great news! Strong legislation has been introduced in
Congress to label genetically engineered foods (GMOs)! This is a great
step forward, but we know we'll have an uphill battle to get this
legislation passed. Can you ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor
the Bills to Label Genetically Engineered Foods?

http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=fnmJxlbbIE84c7nPpo6GWw

Why is this important? Often people ask us why this even
matters. Here are answers to some of the most Frequently Asked
Questions we get on this topic:

Question: What is a genetically engineered food or GMO?

Answer: A genetically engineered food is a plant or animal that has
been changed by taking genes from one species and inserting them into
the DNA of another species or altering the DNA in a way that could
never happen through traditional cross-breeding or in nature.

Question: Aren't genetically engineered foods safe?

Answer: The approval process for new GMO crops in the U.S. is
extremely weak and relies solely on the safety tests done by the
corporations that are creating these crops. Right now, most crops are
approved by federal regulators under the "generally recognized as
safe" provision, which means that if a GMO corn variety looks and
"acts" like the non-GMO version of corn, it is approved.

Question: But don't farmers need genetically engineered foods to feed
the growing world population?

Answer: Over 99% of the GMO crops that are being planted today are
engineered to withstand strong chemical applications, or to produce
their own pesticides. Often, the chemical companies like Monsanto, Dow
and DuPont that create GMO crops also create the chemicals that have
to be used with the crops, so the main benefit of these patented crops
is for the companies and their profits. Additionally, most of these
GMO crops - like corn, soybeans, canola and cotton - are
not grown as food for direct human consumption, but rather for animal
feed, or to create ingredients in processed foods.

Question: If over 90% of Americans support the labeling of GMOs, why
hasn't Congress or the Food and Drug Administration done anything?

Answer:
What we eat and feed our families has a direct impact on our health
and
well-being, and we have a right to know if the food we're eating has

been altered in a way that could never happen in nature.
Unfortunately,
the big food industries spend millions lobbying Congress and federal
agencies to keep labels off of GMO foods. The Grocery
Manufacturers Association, which represents the biggest food and
chemical companies, has spent over $50 million to defeat labeling
initiatives in multiple states.

Question: Why should I take action and ask my members of Congress to
support this legislation?

Answer: Genetically engineered crops are in most processed foods but
are unlabeled, so many people who wish to avoid foods with GMO
ingredients don't know where they are lurking. GMOs are untested and
it's unknown how these engineered foods may be impacting our health
and the environment. At the very least, shouldn't we have a choice to
avoid them if we want to?

Ask your Members of Congress to support labeling of genetically
engineered foods.

http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=JaZer4Ti7yZSdf88S5sYqg

In addition to the good legislation that has been introduced, we're
also expecting bad legislation to be introduced any day that would
take away states' rights to label GMOs.

Can you take action today to ask your Members of Congress to support
the GMO labeling bills and oppose any bills that would limit states'
rights to label genetically engineered foods?

http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=9_owS55JzUM946oOwbZOrA

At the end of the day, it all comes down to who gets to decide what
you are eating. Shouldn't that person be you?

Thanks for taking action,

Sarah Alexander
Deputy Organizing Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org

P.S. Still look for more information about genetically engineered
foods? Check out our research report on GMOs.

http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=0jkx-G5LdBqPR0tkQyDUew



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