In mid-July, the DARK Act passed in both the U.S. House and Senate. It now awaits President Obama’s signature or veto.
The bill to label genetically modified organisms (GMO) in products, often referred to by opponents as the “Denying Americans the Right to Know” or DARK Act, allows companies to conceal genetically engineered ingredient information behind QR codes, websites or 800 numbers. The bill also bans any state or local GMO labeling standards.
If President Obama signs this bill, consumers would need a phone to call 800 numbers or internet access and a smartphone to scan products to determine what’s in their food.
This is confusing and discriminatory.
Shoppers don’t have the time to use a QR code reader or make a cell phone call for every product they wish to buy.
That’s not real transparency.
The challenges in low-income and rural communities are even greater, where smartphones, adequate data plans and good network coverage are often not a reality of everyday life.
A simpler law would require four simple words clearly written on the package, “Produced with genetic engineering.”
A label like that is already found in grocery stores in countries that require GMO labeling.
Take action
Leave President Obama a message at the White House urging him to veto the DARK Act. Call the White House at 202-456-1111, Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm Eastern.
You can say,
“I urge President Obama to veto the GMO labeling bill, S. 764.
I would like mandatory on-package labeling of foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients.
We have the right to know what is in our food in order to make informed choices about what we eat and feed our families.”
How members of Congress voted on the DARK Act
Look in the table below for how members of Congress in the seven-state WORC region voted on S. 764 or check the House and Senate vote tallies for non WORC states.
How members of the U.S. House in WORC states voted on DARK Act. A “no” vote preserves consumers’ right to know what’s in their food.
| COLORADO | No | Rep. Diana DeGette (D) |
| Yes | Rep. Doug Lamborn (R) | |
| No | Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D) | |
| No | Rep. Mike Coffman (R) | |
| No | Rep. Jared Polis (D) | |
| No | Rep. Scott Tipton (R) | |
| No | Rep. Ken Buck (R) | |
| IDAHO | Yes | Rep. Michael Simpson (R) |
| Yes | Rep. Raul Labrador (R) | |
| MONTANA | Yes | Rep. Ryan Zinke (R) |
| NORTH DAKOTA | Yes | Rep. Kevin Cramer (R) |
| OREGON | No | Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) |
| No | Rep. Peter DeFazio (D) | |
| Yes | Rep. Greg Walden (R) | |
| Yes | Rep. Kurt Schrader (D) | |
| No | Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D) | |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | Yes | Rep. Kristi Noem (R) |
| WYOMING | Yes | Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R) |
How members of the U.S. Senate in WORC states voted on DARK Act. A “no” vote preserves consumers’ right to know what’s in their food.
| Colorado | Bennet (D), Yes | Gardner (R), Yes |
| Idaho | Crapo (R), Yes | Risch (R), Yes |
| Montana | Daines (R), Yes | Tester (D), No |
| North Dakota | Heitkamp (D), Yes | Hoeven (R), Yes |
| Oregon | Merkley (D), No | Wyden (D), No |
| South Dakota | Rounds (R), Yes | Thune (R), Yes |
| Wyoming | Barrasso (R), Yes | Enzi (R), Yes |