GMO-Labeling Bill Moves Forward, Goes Before Massachusetts Lawmakers

According to the Marblehead Reporter, GMO labeling bill H. 813 was passed out of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture. It now goes before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on health Care Financing before going to lawmakers.

The legislation is surprisingly not getting much fanfare on mainstream news, though the public’s support for labeling GMO’s is overwhelming.

More than 20,000 people in Massachusetts and 200 businesses have signed on to support GMO labeling. This includes 140 farms and food producers. More than one-third of lawmakers in the state have endorsed labeling, and the bill isn’t even on their desk yet.

“There is incredible momentum in the northeast to label genetically engineered foods,” said Martin Dagoberto, of MA Right to Know GMOs. “Representative Ehrlich’s leadership is instrumental to the bill’s success. This is a significant step forward in the fight for a transparent food supply.”

A growing number of states in the northeast U.S. are drafting legislation to have GMO foods clearly labeled. Maine and Connecticut have already passed GMO legislation, while New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and Rhode Island all have bills pending. The trend comes as an overwhelming majority of Americans want to know when their food contains genetically modified ingredients.

“The bottom line is that consumers overwhelmingly want to know what is in the food they eat,” said Deirdre Cummings, of MASSPIRG. “GMO labeling is a simple common sense way to allow consumers to make informed choices.”

The New York Times reported about 93% of Americans want GMO-containing foods labeled. But it seems it will come down to the people versus the corporations with big money.

Corporations will spend millions to counter any endeavor that may hurt their bottom-line, and the processed food industries, who pump GMO corn and soy byproducts into their food-like-products, really don’t want you to know what’s in your food.

As Anthony Gucciardi reported last November, Monsanto’s massive campaign against GMO labeling in Washington State was backed by over $22 million from sources like Bayer, DuPont, and the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association. These corporations pulled out all the stops to deliver propaganda designed to mislead the public and further their own interests.

“Overall, it is not time to lose morale in the fight for the reclamation of our food, but instead to voice another rallying cry as the beast that is Monsanto begins to truly show how desperate it really is,” wrote Gucciardi. And with new battles waging in our eastern states, there’s no time like the present.