A Vote On Controversial DARK Act Looms On The Horizon

naturalblaze.com

A controversial bill that would create a federal standard for labeling genetically modified or engineered foods was approved by the Senate Agricultural Committee.

A bill that would “amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered foods,” passed the Senate Agricultural Committee by a vote of 14-6.The legislation, introduced by Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) in late February, create a federal voluntary standard for labeling genetically modified or engineered ingredients, and block mandatory labeling efforts by states.

Genetically modified or engineered seeds are engineered to have certain traits, such as resistance to herbicides. The majority of the United States’ corn and soybean crops are now GE, including a large portion that is used for animal feed. 

The Huffington Post reports that a Senate vote could come as early as next week. The Post also reports that Roberts bill has support from ConAgra, DuPont, Coca-Cola and Walmart. Roberts’ bill is similar to the controversial Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, which passed the House in June 2015. To critics, the bill was known as the “DARK” (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act because the law would have effectively nullified GE labeling measures, such as the bill recently passed in Vermont. The Vermont law is scheduled to take effect July 2016. Senator Roberts’ new bill would prevent the Vermont bill from becoming law.