UPDATE: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the DARK Act (HR 1599) by a vote of 275-150 on July 23, 2015. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.



Congressman Pompeo and his gang of Big Food bullies are once again trying to deny consumers our right to know what we are eating and feeding our families.



The bill that would deny voters the right to pass state bills to label genetically engineered foods—and make mandatory labeling at the federal level impossible—has been passed by the House, despite over half a million emails and phone calls from people like you opposing this corporate power-grab.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.



Pompeo’s bill (H.R. 1599)—dubbed the “Denying Americans the Right-to-Know Act” (DARK Act):

Prevents states from adopting their own GE labeling laws.

Prevents state or county laws regulating GE crops

Prevents the Food and Drug Administration from requiring companies to label GE ingredients and instead continue a failed 14-year “voluntary” labeling policy.

The bill also creates a federal certification process for voluntary non-GMO labels. While non-GMO marketing claims allow companies to distinguish themselves in the marketplace, the labeling of non-GE foods and organic foods is limited to only about 2% of products on the shelves and is not a substitute for mandatory disclosure.



GE labeling is important to Americans, with over 90% consistently supporting transparency in the marketplace through mandatory GE labeling. In 2013 and 2014 there were over 70 GE labeling bills introduced across 30 states, with laws being passed in Maine, Connecticut, and Vermont.



The DARK Act would shut down these efforts and reverse these successfully passed bills, only to be replaced with an undemocratic, hollow “voluntary” labeling scheme. In the 14 years that FDA has allowed companies to voluntarily label GE foods, a total of zero companies have done so .



This is not the solution consumers have been demanding and it is high time for lawmakers to wise up.



Thankfully, Congressman DeFazio and Senator Boxer have also reintroduced their bill to put in place mandatory, nationwide labeling of genetically engineered foods. Congress should focus on the labeling solutions that Americans are asking for – not legislation written by and for big food and chemical companies that only serves to keep Americans in the dark.



Tell your Senators to OPPOSE the DARK Act and SUPPORT mandatory GE food labeling!