[author: Angie Greico]

While Americans have been bombarded with news of Pokemon sightings, legislation concerning our food safety passed through the House, with barely a whisper from the mainstream media.

The House of Representatives submitted a bill “H.R. 1599 – The Safe & Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015”, which has been nicknamed the DARK Act (“Denying Americans the Right to Know”).   The Safe & Accurate Food Labeling Act is a misnomer as it actually takes away accurate food labeling.  Vermont was the first State in the nation to pass mandatory GMO labeling laws but the powerful corporation Monsanto has used its political influences for taking away the individual States’ rights to address the issues in their own backyard.

The Government’s public relations office did an admirable job spinning the issue as a win for consumers, when in reality we all lose.  Under this legislation, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) will have to be identified in food products—however, such notification will be contained in QR codes, not actual written words on the label (and products still may contain GMOs as words such as “natural” are being redefined).  This is absurd on so many levels:  not everyone has a smart phone; not everyone will know how to download an app to read the QR code; and consumers should not have to use uncommon technology to do their grocery shopping.

Monsanto, the biotech giant, has a long history of tainting our food supply, bullying/litigating against farmers just trying to make a decent living, and lobbying government to keep consumers in the DARK:

• Aspartame: an artificial sweetener linked to cancer, craving for sugar, obesity and diabetes.
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): one of the most dangerous chemicals in history, linked to cancer, immune system disorder, birth defects and even death.
• DDT: used in pesticides and confirmed toxic to humans.
• Roundup: thought to be even more dangerous than DDT and linked to birth defects, reproduction failure and deformities in animal laboratories.
• Bovine growth hormone: used to inject in livestock to spur growth and linked to growth hormones are related to breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
• Dioxin and Agent Orange: killed over 400,000 Vietnamese while half a million children were born with birth defects and up to million people were disabled or suffered from chronic diseases. Over 3 million American troops and their offspring were also reportedly linked to Agent Orange.
• And, others…

Monsanto has engaged the human population in the largest food experiment of all time and has demonstrated a willingness to allow human populations to be the lab rats.    Have we just drunk the Kool Aid disguised as health tonic that would end world hunger, while being placated with sound bites that scientists have conducted studies ensuring our safety?

The U.S. has a history allowing companies like Monsanto free range over our food supply.   64 countries worldwide require GMO labeling.   At least 38 countries ban GMO from their food supply until it is proven safe.    Why does the U.S. allow speculative food in the food supply until it is proven dangerous?

Government critics have said that it is the fox (Monsanto) guarding the hen house; but that is an understatement.  It is more like Jim Jones being in charge American’s water supply.

Has government become too closely tied to Corporate America? Check out the ties between ex-Monsanto employees and our government at the Organic Consumers Association.