These two questions immediately came to my mind when I read Natural News editor Mike Adams' bombshell expose this week that organic food retailer Whole Foods has aligned itself with GMO-manufacturing giant Monsanto, to endorse what amounts to little more than sham legislation that, to the uninformed observer may appear to call for the labeling of GMO foods, but which reallydoesn't. And what's more, if companies don't comply with the legislation it won't matter, because there won't be any penalties leveled against them anyway.
So, a "labeling" bill that won't actually require GMO labeling or punish those who ignore it. Truly a piece of legislation made in today's dysfunctional, ineffectual Washington, where the special interests actually "govern" the country via the puppets posing as lawmakers.
The (non) GMO labeling bill
Whole Foods, of course, has quickly come out to deny this, posting this partial response on the company's Facebook page :
There is no truth to these claims. We have always advocated for more transparency in the marketplace, because we believe people have a right to know what's in their food. That's why we were the first (and are still the only) national grocer to set a deadline for GMO transparency in our U.S. and Canadian stores.
And yet, according to the Center for Food Safety, which monitors food-related legislation and has been advocating for GMO labeling:
As explained in more detail below, we oppose the bill because it is actually a non-labeling bill under the guise of a mandatory labeling bill. It exempts major portions of current and future GMO foods from labeling; it is on its face discriminatory against low income, rural and elderly populations; it is a gross violation of the sovereignty of numerous states around the nation; and it provides no enforcement against those who violate the law.
According to Adams, after two years the new bill would "roll out a GMO labeling'compromise' that would allow companies to use QR code (machine language) labeling that isn't readable by humans."
But don't take just our word for it. Politico Pro (article is behind a paywall) reported:
Three leading voices in the so-called "good food" sector today urged support for the Senate's bipartisan compromise on GMO labeling, a bill that would preempt Vermont's labeling law and provide options for companies to disclose genetically modified ingredients.
Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, Jeff Dunn, president of Campbell Fresh, and Sam Kass, a former White House adviser who now works with food tech companies, all praised Sens. Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow for coming to an agreement on a national solution during a panel discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
"It's not perfect, but it's progress not perfection," said Dunn, who noted that Campbell's was the first major food company to voluntarily label its products. "It's a step in the right direction."
Source:
http://www.naturalnews.com/054549_Monsanto_Whole_Foods_GMO_labeling.html?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Postcron.com
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