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February 6th, 2017

Food politics have sparked another kind of populism, and itâ€™s resulting in real reform

By: Chase Purdy - The oven mitts are coming off, as American citizens enter the political fray to press for reforms to the food industry. In the last three years, voters at local levels have chosen to change parts of the food system in transformational ways.

April 27th, 2016

| The New York Times

Yogurt Buyers Send Dannon Back to the Farm

By Stephanie Strom - The yogurt giant Dannon, looking to tap into the publicâ€™s growing concern about the source of its food, is establishing a direct pipeline to some farms that supply the company with milk, part of an ambitious plan to influence farm practices right down to the dirt.

March 16th, 2016

DARK Act Killed in the Senate -for Now- Following Procedural Vote

By Willy Blackmore - Advocates for labels that would tell consumers if their foods contain genetically modified ingredients won a minor victory this week when a bill that threatens to undermine hard-won state-level transparency rules stalled in the Senate.

March 16th, 2016

Bill Blocking GMO Labels Stalls In Senate, But Battle Is Far From Over

By Maria Godoy - It's been called "perhaps the most contentious issue in the food industry": Should food products be labeled to indicate they contain genetically modified ingredients? Leading Republicans in the Senate tried to answer that question on Wednesday with a clear "no," but failed. The Senate rejected a bill that would have prevented any state from requiring GMO labels on food.

March 15th, 2016

The Senate Is Poised to Pass a Pro-Monsanto Food Labeling Law That Discriminates Against More Than Half of America

By Andrew Kimbrell - What would you think of a law that clearly discriminates against rural Americans, lower income Americans, minorities and the elderly? No chance of getting passed, right? Wrong. The Senate is poised to pass such a bill.

March 11th, 2016

This War Over GMOs Could Change Your Grocery Shopping Forever

By Tom Philpott - Political forces unleashed in a tiny state like Vermont (pop. 626,000) sometimes reverberate on the national stage, and Bernie Sanders isn't the only recent example.

March 10th, 2016

King, Collins should stand with Mainers on GMO labeling

(Opinion) By Lance Harvell and Chris Johnson - Mandatory GMO labeling is the common sense approach for consumers and our free market economy and is universally supported by Mainers. While Washington prepares to weigh in, we feel it is imperative to remind Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King about the important work that already has been done here in Maine.

March 7th, 2016

Vilsack calls for mandatory GMO labeling; GE salmon bill introduced

By Carolyn Heneghan - Vilsack's support of mandatory labeling for GMO ingredients could signal a sea change in the momentum of this GMO labeling debate. He told reporters that the government should give food companies enough time to determine the best way to label products, whether it be a toll-free number, smart label, or wording directly on the packaging.

February 25th, 2016

| Sustainable Pulse

Monsanto Feels the Bern as Sanders Turns Focus to GMO Labeling

U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has turned his focus to supporting GMO labeling and attacking Monsantoâ€™s interests this week after Hillary Clintonâ€™s love of GMOs was recently confirmed by the Gates Foundation.

February 25th, 2016

| The New York Times

A Bad Effort in Congress to Thwart States on Food Labels

Editorial Board - The Senate could soon join the House to try to make it harder for consumers to know what is in their food by prohibiting state governments from requiring the labeling of genetically modified foods. This is a bad idea that lawmakers and the Obama administration should oppose.

February 10th, 2016

| The Washington Post

An SEC settlement with a twist: This time Monsantoâ€™s executives pony up too

By Renae Merle - When Monsanto agreed to pay regulators $80 million Tuesday for accounting missteps, the giant agribusinessâ€™s chief executive also chipped in: He voluntarily agreed to return his bonus for the years the problems allegedly occurred.

December 2nd, 2015

Poll: Most Americans support mandatory GMO labeling

By Lydia Wheeler - Despite efforts in Congress to keep the labeling of genetically modified foods voluntary, a new poll released Wednesday found the majority of Americans support mandatory labeling laws…

December 1st, 2015

| St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Editorial: Give shoppers an informed choice with GMO labels

When it comes to the debate over genetically modified organisms, the biotech industry often paints a caricature of GMO opponents. It portrays them as anti-science fear-mongers who would rather see the world starve than give up their misguided beliefs. Thatâ€™s a smart rhetorical move, but itâ€™s unfair…

December 1st, 2015

| The New York Times

Tell Consumers What They Are Eating

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD - In approving genetically engineered salmon as safe to eat and safe for the environment, the Food and Drug Administration rejected petitions from environmental and food safety groups asking that companies selling this salmon be required to label it as genetically engineered. Congress should overturn that decision. Consumers deserve to know what they are eating.

October 2nd, 2015

How an Agrichemical Industry Mouthpiece Is Trying to Undermine GE Labeling with Bogus Legal Analysis

By George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety - In an op-ed published by Forbes last week, a pro-biotechnology mouthpiece who used to work for the tobacco industry wrote a provocative piece arguing that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision imperiled the constitutionality of mandatory genetically engineered food labeling…

September 15th, 2015

States' rights in the crosshairs of upcoming Senate labeling fight

By George Kimbrell - This past July, the House of Representatives passed a controversial bill that's been dubbed the "Deny Americans the Right to Know Act" (or "DARK Act"), which is intended to block the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods at both the state and federal level.

August 4th, 2015

Congress is having a messy food fight over GMO labeling

By Clare Leschin-Hoar - "There are fewer extremes than the Vermont governor and the Maine governor," says Colin Oâ€™Neil, director of government affairs, Center for Food Safety which tracks state labeling efforts. "You donâ€™t get much more conservative than [Paul LePage] the governor of Maine." But the conversation is changing as it moves to Washington, DC.

August 3rd, 2015

| Jefferson Public Radio

The GMO Bill In Congress: Does It, Or Not?

Hosts Geoffrey Riley and Emily Cureton - One of the most-debated provisions concerns local bans on GMO crops, as in Jackson County. Would the bill prohibit those or not? We hear both opinions in this hour... Gail Greenman from the Oregon Farm Bureau says there's no such provision. She'll be followed by George Kimbrell at the Center for Food Safety, who says there is.

June 19th, 2015

| Thrive Market Blog

If the ˜Dark Act" passes consumers who care about GMOs are out of luck

By Steve Holt - "The Monsanto Protection Act is back, and it's even worse than before," Andrew Kimbrell, executive director at Center for Food Safety, said in a statement. "This bill would strip away a state or local government's basic rights of local control, and hands the biotech industry everything it wants on a silver platter…

June 19th, 2015

Updated Anti-GMO-Labeling Act Doubles Down on Big Agâ€™s Corporate Secrecy

By Josh Scherer - Itâ€™s officially called the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, but most Americans know it by its colloquial, possibly more accurate name: the Denying Americans the Right to Know Act, aka DARK Act. It was introduced by Rep…

June 17th, 2015

The True Cost of Cheap Food

By Laura Turner Seydel - As global citizens of the world, we can not afford to keep living with our heads in the sand about pesticides and GMO foods. What can you do? Each time you choose the organic product at the grocery store your dollars are voting against these destructive practices. Whether you choose to buy organic or not, let your grocer know you want food labeling.

What Do International Trade Agreements Have to Do With Dinner?

By Elizabeth Grossman - Center for Food Safetyâ€™s international director, Debbie Barker, says itâ€™s important to remember that the TPP and TTIP, â€œlike other modern day trade agreements, have gone beyond the historical role of dealing with tariffs and quotas.â€ This means softening or even doing away with regulations in order to facilitate trade.

| Associated Press

USDA creates certification, label for GMO-free food

By Mary Clare Jalonick - Colin Oâ€™Neil of the Center for Food Safety said claiming a food is free of GMOs â€œis not enough to remedy widespread consumer confusion and therefore cannot be a substitute for mandatory disclosure.â€

April 24th, 2015

Industry shelled out $63M to fight GMO labeling rules

By Lydia Wheeler - Food and biotechnology companies spent $63.6 million last year to lobby against mandatory labeling laws for genetically modified foods, according to a new study from the Environmental Working Group…

March 30th, 2015

| Time Warner Cable News

Congress Debates Competing Bills About GMO Labeling

By Geoff Bennett - â€œThe biotechnology industry did a good job of selling genetically engineered crops to farmers in the mid-90s, but they never had to sell their products to the American consumer,â€ Colin O'Neil with the Center for Food Safety said…

March 25th, 2015

| The Des Moines Register

Bill backs voluntary label identifying GMO-free foods

By Christopher Doering - "This (bill) is a faulty and disingenuous attempt to assuage consumer concern without actually giving the people the information they want and deserve," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director at the Center for Food Safety. "The most effective way to provide consumers with the full universe of information about their food is through mandatory labeling, nothing less."

March 9th, 2015

| The Des Moines Register

Support the GMO Food Right-to-Know Act

By Anne Dietrich - We hear a lot these days about labeling genetically engineered food. As a consumer, I feel it is my right to know what is in the food I buy. As a parent, I need to know. If there isn't any difference between genetically engineered food and conventional food, then why is it genetically engineered in the first place?

March 1st, 2015

| Statesman Journal

Avoiding GMOs means knowing what labels mean

By Victor Panichkul - "I think the most important thing to know about PLUs is that they're optional," said Rebecca Spector, West Coast director of the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit consumer and environmental advocacy group. Both Spector and Oregon Tilth executive director Chris Schreiner said looking for an organic label is a better indicator of GMOs.

February 23rd, 2015

GMO Inside Announces Victory for Consumers: Hershey's Milk Chocolate and Kisses to Go Non-GMO by the End of 2015

In response to tens of thousands of Facebook posts, emails, and telephone calls from consumers who took part in GMO Inside's campaign calling on Hershey's to move to non-GMO ingredients, the U.S…

February 18th, 2015

| Common Dreams

Despite Corporations Trying to Silence Our Voices, A New Wave of Democracy

By Andrew Kimbrell - The antidote to the corporate project aimed at poisoning our democracy is to defend those that have been courageous enough to vote their conscience and for their communities.

February 17th, 2015

| Huffington Post

A New Wave of Democracy, and How Corporations Are Trying to Silence Your Voice and Your Choice

By Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director, Center for Food Safety - President's Day is an appropriate time to reflect on the state of our U.S. democracy. And there is some very good news across the country about the spread of local democracy, but you have not heard or read much about it in the mainstream media…

January 19th, 2015

Five food policy issues to listen for on Tuesday

By Colin O'Neil, Center for Food Safety - The State of the Food Movement is, as you would expect, hungry for action. There is a lot on the President's plate: immigration, climate change, and trade, to name a few. But one important public policy issue will be served on the side of almost every major debate in 2015: Food…

January 13th, 2015

| Associated Press

Poll: An appetite for labeling GMO foods

By MARY CLARE JALONICK - According to a December Associated Press-GfK poll, 66 percent of Americans favor requiring food manufacturers to put labels on products that contain genetically modified organisms, or foods grown from seeds engineered in labs. Only 7 percent are opposed to the idea, and 24 percent are neutral.

January 12th, 2015

When "Top Chef" Star Tom Colicchio Went to Washington

By Jenna McLaughlin - More than 700 chefs had already signed a petition supporting a DeFazio-sponsored bill, currently stalled in the House with 67 cosponsors, that would require food manufacturers to disclose their GMO ingredients. A subset of the signatories were on the Hill to lobby legislators and staffers.

December 19th, 2014

Pesticides in your food? Don't worry, says USDA

By CAREY GILLAM - Concerns about glyphosate and other pesticide residues on food have been a hot topic of debate in the United States recently, and contributed to the passage of the countryâ€™s first mandatory labeling law for foods that are genetically modified, in Vermont earlier this year.

December 18th, 2014

| The Statesman Journal

GMO labeling opponents contributing to candidates, PACs

By Tracy Loew - While they were pouring money into the opposition campaign, out-of-state agribusiness companies and food industry trade groups also were contributing to legislators' campaign committees and Oregon political action committees.

December 12th, 2014

Oregon's GMO Labeling Initiative Didn't Pass. Here's Why We're Still Winning.

By Rebecca Spector - hough the measure failed, along with similar efforts in California, Colorado, and Washington over the past two years, the narrow margin in Oregon makes me more sure than ever that we will see mandatory labeling soon.

December 9th, 2014

A food fight 20 years in the making comes to Capitol Hill

By Elizabeth Kucinich - In 1992, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wrote in a policy statement that genetically engineered foods (or genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMOs) were not â€œmaterially differentâ€ from regular foods. The FDAâ€™s 1992 policy statement was a political statement, not a legal or scientific one…

December 2nd, 2014

Top chefs urge Congress to act on food labeling

Christopher Doering - Some of the country's most popular chefs traded in serving food for serving sound bites in Washington on Tuesday…

December 1st, 2014

| Al Jazeera America

In GMO labeling fight, all eyes on Vermont

By Peter Moskowitz - Industry groups sued Vermont over a GMO labeling law; case could set precedent for states mulling similar legislation

November 27th, 2014

| Statesman Journal

Campaign continues for GMO labeling supporters

Tracy Loew - â€œThis is only the beginning,â€ said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. â€œThe power and tenaciousness of the Food Movement has been on full display here in Oregon.â€

November 6th, 2014

| Associated Press

Despite Losses, GMO Label Backers Aren't Quitting

By GOSIA WOZNIACKA - "This is a social movement that's gaining power, as people become more aware of how their food is produced," said George Kimbrell, a senior attorney at the Center for Food Safety. "So there's great success there regardless of the outcome of the measure."

October 31st, 2014

| The Des Moines Register

Companies spend big to beat GMO labeling

By Christopher Doering - Large agribusinesses, including Iowa-based DuPont Pioneer, have spent millions opposing two state initiatives that would require labeling for foods made with genetically modified ingredients…

October 23rd, 2014

| Statesman Journal

Portland infant formula has pesticide-resistant GMOs

By Tracy Loew - Some infant formula sold in Portland contains soy that has been genetically engineered to withstand heavy pesticide spraying, laboratory testing has found. The Center for Food Safety, a national environmental advocacy organization, purchased the formula earlier this month and had the tests conducted.

October 20th, 2014

Why Did Top Scientific Journals Reject This Dr. Bronner's Ad?

By Tom Philpott - Bronner's ad focuses on how GMO crops have led to a net increase in pesticide use in the United States, citing an analysis by Ramon Seidler, a retired senior staff scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency.

October 7th, 2014

| The Baltimore Sun

U.S. foods labeled 'natural' often contain GMOs, group reports

By Carey Gillam - A majority of U.S. packaged foods labeled as "natural" and tested by Consumer Reports actually contained a substantial level of genetically modified ingredients, according to a report issued Tuesday by the non-profit product testing group.

October 1st, 2014

| The Oregonian

Median GMO labeling would cost consumers $2.30 per year: New pro-Measure 92 study

By Dana Tims - Requiring labeling of products containing genetically modified ingredients would amount to a median cost to consumers of $2.30 per year, according to a study released Wednesday. "That's less than a penny a day for each consumer," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports.

August 10th, 2014

GMO or no? Should labels be required on food with genetically modified ingredients?

By Marnie Eisenstadt - Did that cereal you just spooned into your mouth contain corn that was tweaked in a lab to have bug-killing bacteria? Or was it made with soybeans that have had their DNA changed so the plant can be doused with pesticide?

July 14th, 2014

| Wall Street Journal

[MAP] Which States Are Considering Labels for GMO Foods?

By Rani Molla - The movement to require food companies to label products that were genetically engineered is heating up in the U.S. this year. Thirty-five bills have been introduced in 20 states on the issue, and ballot initiatives are set in Colorado and Oregon.

July 10th, 2014

| US News & World Report

Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder Would Rather Fight GMO Battle in the States

By Nikki Schwab - Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerryâ€™s ice cream, doesnâ€™t want to have to be in the nation's capital. But there he was Thursday on Capitol Hill next to Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., speaking out against genetically modified organisms â€“ GMOs â€“ and handing out tiny cups of his trademark ice cream.

June 16th, 2014

| Burlington Free Press

How Ben & Jerry's says goodbye to GMOs

By Terri Hallenbeck - What's rolling off the production line in St. Albans is an old flavor with a new name and new ingredients as the iconic ice-cream maker transforms all of its 50 flavors to non-genetically modified ingredients and Fair Trade certification.

40 maps that explain food in America

By Ezra Klein and Susannah Locke - #13: GMO labeling. This map shows whether foods that include genetically modified ingredients, such as GMO corn and soy, are required by law to be labeled.

| Sacramento Bee

Viewpoints: Consumers want labeling on GMO foods

By Elisa Odabashian - California has often led the nation in passing landmark legislation in the public interest. This week, the California Senate could once again be a leader by passing Senate Bill 1381, introduced by Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, which would require the labeling of genetically engineered, or GMO, foods in the state.

| The New York Times

Information Not on the Label

By RONI CARYN RABIN - If you want to know whether the bread you're about to buy was sweetened with corn syrup, you can check the label. The same is true if you're concerned about preservatives, caramel coloring or artificial flavoring. By law, all of these ingredients must be listed on food labels. But not genetically modified organisms, or G.M.O.s…

| The Oregonian

Oregon GMO labeling campaign begins gathering signatures

By Yuxing Zheng - "We have a right to know important information about the food we eat and feed our families," said Aurora Paulsen, an attorney at the Portland-based Center for Food Safety and a co-petitioner of the initiative. "We should have the right to choose whether we want to buy and eat genetically engineered food."

Want to Know If Your Food Is Genetically Modified?

By Molly Ball - In more than 30 years in politics, Bobby Starr had never seen anything like it. The Vermont state senator, a Democrat, represents a remote, rural district on the Canadian border. For the past couple of years, everywhere he went, everyone from villagers at their annual town meeting to children at a school assembly wanted to talk about genetically modified organisms in their food.

Vermont takes on genetically modified foods with new labeling law

By Clare Leschin-Hoar - Vermont governor Peter Shumlin is expected to sign the United States' first unrestricted GMO labeling law today. The new law (pdf), scheduled to take effect in July 2016, will be the first in the nation to require food makers to label products made from genetically modified ingredients, such as corn, soybean or sugar beets.

| Hawaii News Now

National group opens Honolulu office in effort for GMO labeling

By Ben Gutierrez - A national consumer advocacy and environmental group has opened an office in Honolulu in its efforts to pass a law in Hawaii that would require labels to be put on genetically-modified foods. The Center for Food Safety helped draft such a measure in Vermont, which will be signed into law Thursday…

| Food Safety News

Vermont Will Triumph Against Court Challenges to New Labeling Legislation

By Shelley Powers - Add all of this up and youâ€™ll realize that the people of Vermont have legitimate concerns expressed as a singular wish: to know if the product theyâ€™re using contains GMO material so they can make a choice whether to buy it or not, for whatever reason…

April 29th, 2014

| Washington Post

How Vermont plans to defend the nation's first GMO law

By Niraj Chokshi - Expect two things to happen now that Vermontâ€™s legislature has passed H.112. Any day now, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) is expected to make history by signing that bill into law as he has suggested, making his the first state to require genetically modified food to be labeled as such. Then, maybe not too long after that, expect the state to be sued over it.

April 29th, 2014

| Minnesota Public Radio

GMO labeling faces growing food industry opposition in Congress

By Brett Neely - "This is really the catch all and the industry's wish list bill," said Colin O'Neil, lobbyist for the nonprofit Center for Food Safety. O'Neil notes that many food companies already disclose plenty about what's being added to their foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration "requires the labeling of nearly 4,000 other ingredients, additives and processes…

April 24th, 2014

| Huffington Post

Vermont Stands on the Cusp of History With Right-to-Know GE Labeling Law

By Andrew Kimbrell - This is a historic day for the people's right to know. Vermont is leading the country and opening the door for a mandatory national labeling program. We congratulate the Vermont activists and the legislatures who have fought long and hard for this historic day.

April 23rd, 2014

| Wall Street Journal

Vermont to Enact GMO Food-Labeling Law

By Annie Gasparro and Jacob Bunge - The movement against genetically modified crops scored a signal victory Wednesday, as the Vermont legislature passed a bill that would make it the first state to require food makers to label products made with the technology…

April 23rd, 2014

| The New York Times

Vermont Will Require Labeling of Genetically Altered Foods

By STEPHANIE STROM - Going further than any state so far, Vermont on Wednesday passed a law requiring the labeling of foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients. â€œThis is a historic day for the peopleâ€™s right to know,â€ Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, an advocacy group that helped draft the Vermont legislation, said in a statement.

April 21st, 2014

Wegmans takes a stance on genetically modified food

By Ryan Delaney - Upstate New York grocery store chain Wegmans has come out and said federal food regulators should develop standards and labeling practices for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.

April 17th, 2014

| The New York Times

When "Liking" a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue

By STEPHANIE STROM - Might downloading a 50-cent coupon for Cheerios cost you legal rights? General Mills, the maker of cereals like Cheerios and Chex as well as brands like Bisquick and Betty Crocker, has quietly added language to its website to alert consumers that they give up their right to sue the company if they download coupons, â€œjoinâ€ it in online communities like Facebook, en…

April 16th, 2014

Vermont Senate passes mandatory GMO food-labeling law

By Carey Gillam and Lisa Baertlein - The Vermont Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would make the state the first in the United States to enact mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically modified crops. "We are really excited that Vermont is going to be leading on this," said Falko Schilling, a spokesman for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which backed the bill.

April 14th, 2014

| Vermont Public Radio

Sorrell Braces For Lawsuit If GMO Bill Becomes Law

By Bob Kinzel - Thereâ€™s a good possibility that Vermont will become the first state in the country to require the labeling of food products made with GMOs…

April 10th, 2014

| Huffington Post

GMO Pushers and The Art of War

By Elizabeth Kucinich - In The Art of War the famous strategist Sun Tzu writes, "The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent." Sun Tzu could write a whole new chapter about Monsanto and the other pushers of genetically modified foods, or GMO. On Wednesday, Rep…

April 10th, 2014

Bill seeks to block mandatory GMO food labeling by states

By Carey Gillam - A Republican congressman from Kansas introduced legislation on Wednesday that would nullify efforts in multiple states to require labeling of genetically modified foods. The bill, dubbed the "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act," was drafted by U.S. Rep…

April 3rd, 2014

3 Out Of 4 Food Shoppers Care About Sustainability In Their Supermarket Decisions

By Ben Schiller - Americans are strongly in favor of foods that are better for society and the environment. And they want to know if they're eating GMOs.

March 18th, 2014

| WBAL Baltimore Radio

Delegates Hold Hearing On GMO Food Labels

By Robert Lang - "This bill is about providing consumers with transparency, to allow them to know what they are buying and feeding their families," O'Neil told WBAL News. "It also provides a vital public health tool for Maryland physicians, to be able to track any unintended health effects, should they arise."

March 12th, 2014

| By Matthew Heller - Senate Bill 1381 - also known as the California Right To Know Genetically Engineered Food Act - "more explicitly clarifies liability, provides protections for farmers and retailers, places limits on potential litigation, and clarifies exemptions," said Rebecca Spector, West Coast director for the Center for Food Safety, which helped write the bill.

California's GMO Labeling Bill 'Cleaner' than Prop 37

February 27th, 2014

| Voice of San Diego

GMO Labeling Might Be Back from the Dead

By Clare Leschin-Hoar - The GMO labeling conversation that died when Prop. 37 failed in 2012 is being resurrected. The Center for Food Safety says at least 30 states are expected to vote on labeling legislation of some kind in 2014.

February 25th, 2014

| Earth Island Journal

California State Senator Introduces New GMO Labeling Bill

by Maureen Nandini Mitra - Californiaâ€™s gearing up for round two of the GMO labeling debate. This time though the battle will be duked out in the state legislature rather than in the public arena. On Friday, state Senator Noreen Evans, a Democrat from Santa Rosa, introduced a new bill to label GM foods sold in California…

February 25th, 2014

| Food Safety News

Senate Bill Proposes GE Labeling in California

By Lauren Bernadett - State Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) has reignited the GE labeling discussion in California. Evans has introduced Senate Bill 1381, a bill that would require GE food labeling. Evansâ€™ bill is cleaner and more simple than Prop. 37, according to the Center for Food Safety, which has funded GE labeling initiatives in multiple states.

February 17th, 2014

| Huffington Post

Revealed: How Genetically Modified Food Is Finding Its Way Onto Your Dinner Plate

By Andrew Wasley - Genetically modified (GM) food is flooding into the UK through the back door with many consumers unaware that much of the meat and dairy products they eat may have been made from farm animals fed a diet containing GM crops…

February 11th, 2014

| Huffington Post

Warning: Industry Spin May Be Hazardous to Your Health; Learn the Truth About GE Foods

By Elizabeth Kucinich - A PR firm doesn't care what it says as long as the public perception is moved in favor of their client. Smoke-and-mirrors tactics are enlisted to confuse and propagandize the public -- and that is just what this new coalition of Big Food lobbyists will do…

February 6th, 2014

| Bloomberg News

Food Industry Forms Group to Stop Gene-Modified Labeling

By Jack Kaskey - The companies opposing such measures "have failed to win over consumers who overwhelmingly support the mandatory labeling of GMOs and now they're trying to steal away consumer choice in congress," Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for the Center for food Safety, a health and environmental campaign group, said today in an e-mailed statement.

February 6th, 2014

Food industry launches GMO push

By Ben Goad - The watchdogs derided the industry effort as a blatant attempt to keep the American public in the dark. "Voluntary labeling is an absolutely ineffective policy solution and is not a substitute for mandatory labeling,â€ said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety…

February 3rd, 2014

Why we need GMO labels

By David Schubert - Most people like to know what they are eating. However, labeling for genetically modified organisms is not required in any state. This is largely because of the money expended by GM seed producers toward blocking food-labeling laws.

February 4th, 2014

| The Brown Daily Herald

R.I. enters national GMO debate

By Kerri Colfer - Rep. Dennis Canario, D-Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton, has introduced a bill that would require food containing genetically modified ingredients to be labeled â€œProduced with Genetic Engineering,â€ according to a General Assembly press release. The bill was heard Wednesday by the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare.

January 22nd, 2014

| Associated Press

States weighing labels on genetically altered foods

By David Klepper - In the absence of federal regulation, states from Rhode Island to Hawaii are considering laws to require labels on food items containing genetically modified ingredients. Currently, only Connecticut and Maine have laws requiring labels for genetically modified foods. But those requirements won't kick in until other states adopt their own rules…

January 21st, 2014

| KCET Food Rant

Monsanto's Sneaky Plan to Undermine GMO Labeling

By Rick Paulas - Previously, I detailed Monsanto's goal of getting their GMO-laced items adorned with the "natural" food label -- which is a plan self-evident in its deviousness -- but what may be more fascinatingly treacherous is their latest attempt to undermine the GMO labeling process.

January 16th, 2014

| Huffington Post

Members of Congress, Farmers and Businesses Call on Obama to Fulfill Campaign Promise on GMO Labeling

By Elizabeth Kucinich - A morning press conference offered a beacon of hope for farmers and activists on Capitol Hill today as members of Congress and 200 organizations demanded Obama fulfill his 2007 campaign promises to label GMOs. "We need the federal government to step up. People across the U.S deserve labeling," said Rep. Kuster. "It's all about the consumer's right to know," Rep…

January 16th, 2014

Lawmakers ask Obama to keep '07 GMO labeling promise

By JENNY HOPKINSON - Given the recent action in different states, and the more than $70 million spent by the food and biotech industry to fight ballot initiatives in California and Washington state over the past two years, the Obama administration should recognize that the time has come, Colin Oâ€™Neil, director of governmental affairs for the Center of Food Safety, said at the event…

January 16th, 2014

Organic food and farm groups ask Obama to require GMO food labels

By Carey Gillam - Four U.S. lawmakers joined with more than 200 food companies, organic farming groups, health and environment organizations and other groups on Thursday to urge President Barack Obama to require manufacturers to label food products that contain genetically engineered ingredients.

January 13th, 2014

| Women News Network

Genetically engineered food labeling and restrictions move through U.S. States

Policies in food production transparency is revving up in the United States as the State of Maine is joining one other U.S. state, the State of Connecticut, with legislation requiring food labels that will let grocery shoppers know how many food products they eat have been genetically altered. But the road ahead to new food labeling may be some time away. Five U.S…

January 10th, 2014

| Washington Post

Maine becomes second state to require GMO labels

By Reid Wilson - Maine will become the second state to require labels on food that contains genetically modified ingredients under new legislation signed by Gov. Paul LePage (R) this week â€” but only after other states follow suit.

January 7th, 2014

| Food Navigator

Activists blast moves by GMA to pre-empt state-driven GMO labeling initiatives with new 'federal solution.'

By Elaine Waston - Center for Food Safety executive director Andrew Kimbrell said "The GMA will do anything in its power to keep the public from knowing what it in the food they are buying. We and our allies in the food movement will work to make sure that the public's right to know is protected and that this bill, if introduced, is dead on arrival."

January 7th, 2014

| The New York Times

How Many Cheers for Cheerios?

By Mark Bittman - Well, a major and venerable American brand has gone and announced that it contains no genetically modified organisms (G.M.O.'s). Cheerios is G.M.O.-free! And will soon be labeled â€œNot Made With Genetically Modified Ingredients.â€ Do we care? Should we? Is this a cynical marketing ploy or a huge deal or both? (It certainly isnâ€™t neither.)

January 7th, 2014

Food industry to fire preemptive GMO strike

By JENNY HOPKINSON and HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH - The giants of the U.S. food industry who have spent millions fighting state-by-state efforts to mandate new labels for genetically modified organisms are taking a page from their opponents and pushing for a federal GMO law…

January 7th, 2014

| Los Angeles Times

FDA must stand firm in the 'natural' food fight

By The Times editorial board - Allowing the word "natural" to describe food whose genetic origin was the laboratory would make a mockery of food labeling.

January 5th, 2014

| The Raw Story

Battle over GMOs percolating in U.S., with 93 percent of Americans in favor of labeling

By Agence France-Presse - A GMO labeling battle is rumbling in the United States, with those demanding full disclosure of genetically modified organisms in food products pitted against big companies.

January 3rd, 2014

| Al Jazeera America

General Mills begins selling Cheerios free of GMOs

By Amel Ahmed - Colin O'Neil, a spokesman for the nonprofit Center for Food Safety, told Al Jazeera that the notion that genetically engineered ingredients are already proven to be completely safe is misleading. "Companies are not required by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to provide premarket safety assessments," he said…

January 2nd, 2014

Sen. Feinstein Urges Obama to Mandate GMO Labeling

By Conan Milner - Numerous policies have failed in the struggle to label genetically engineered foods, both in Congress and at the state level. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) suggests another pathâ€”through the White House. In a Dec…

December 21st, 2013

| Food Poisoning Bulletin

Natural Label Should Not Include GMO Foods

By Linda Larsen - The Center for Food Safety has called on the FDA to not let GMO foods carry the â€œnaturalâ€ label. The Grocery Manufacturerâ€™s Association has announced it would submit a petition to the government to define the term â€œnaturalâ€ to include foods produced using genetic engineering…

December 16th, 2013

Congress Wrestles With Laws on GMO Labeling

By Georgina Gustin - With these narrow losses and the costly, high-profile campaigns that led to them, the fight over GMO labeling has hit the national stage two years in a row, giving labeling advocates a sense of momentum â€” and opponents new battlegrounds. It may include Congress.

December 16th, 2013

GMO labeling becomes law in Connecticut

By John Upton - Connecticut made food history last week when Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) signed the first state law in the nation mandating the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.

December 12th, 2013

'This is the time!' Connecticut gov signs first GMO labeling law in US

The governor of Connecticut hosted a ceremonial signing outside an organic restaurant in the city of Fairfield on Wednesday to commemorate the stateâ€™s passing of what could be the first GMO labeling law of its type in the United States.

December 5th, 2013

| Huffington Post

The Dark Side of Coca-Cola's Healthy Brands

By Ocean Robbins - But companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Kellogg have joined forces with Monsanto to bankroll efforts aimed at keeping Americans from knowing which foods contain GMOs. And they've used money from sales of their natural brands to help finance the effort.

December 3rd, 2013

Grocers' Group Spends Record Lobbying Amid Food-Labeling Fights

By Greg Giroux - â€œSpending is not a problemâ€ for organizations opposed to labeling requirements, said Colin Oâ€™Neil, director of government affairs for the Center for Food Safety, which backed the Washington state initiative. â€œThese companies will spend whatever it takes to defeat labeling at the state level.â€

November 27th, 2013

| Huffington Post

Colorado Voters May Be Next To Decide On GMO Food Labeling

By Matt Ferner - In 2014, voters in Colorado may be the next to decide on mandatory labeling for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.

November 22nd, 2013

Coca-Cola Feeling the Heat After Secret Funding of Anti-Labeling Campaign

By Ocean Robbins - Campaign finance reports revealed that Coca-Cola had secretly contributed more than a million dollars to the fight against GMO labeling in Washington. Now activists are fighting back.

November 22nd, 2013

Food Labeling Laws: It's a Matter of "When" Not "If"

VIDEO: The meat industry has been "willing to fight tooth and nail from allowing COOL on the books," says Colin O'Neil of the Center for Food Safety, one of the groups supporting new labeling laws. "There has been overwhelming support from U.S. businesses but [COOL] was fraught with legal challenges from beginning…

November 12th, 2013

Gene-Altered Food Fight Rages On as Oregon Takes Lead

By Alison Vekshin - Lawmakers in states such as Vermont, New York, Hawaii and California will probably offer labeling proposals in coming legislative sessions, said Kimbrell, of the Center for Food Safety. Still, their potential for victory is no better than at the ballot box, he said.

November 10th, 2013

| Philadelphia Inquirer

GreenSpace: Pa., N.J. new fronts in food-label fight

By Sandy Bauers - Rebecca Spector, West Coast director of the Center for Food Safety, said money swung Tuesday's vote. She said it was hard to counter the "confusing and misleading" industry ads "when you're outspent by 3-to-1."

November 7th, 2013

| Eat Drink Politics

Industry's Secret Plan to Get the Feds to Kill GMO Labeling in Every State

By Michele Simon - Internal documents from the Grocery Manufacturers Association reveal height of corporate chutzpah. Industryâ€™s solution to GMO labeling is to: â€œPursue statutory federal preemption which does not include a labeling requirement.â€

November 4th, 2013

| US News and World Report

The Case for Labeling GMOs

By Andrew Kimbrell - Why are agrichemical companies willing to spend such huge sums to defeat labeling? To us, it seems simple. These companiesâ€™ GM foods would not be able to compete in an informed marketplace against non-GM foods.

November 3rd, 2013

| Statesman Journal

All eyes on Washington in fight over genetically modified foods

By Tracy Loew - Regardless of the outcome, supporters of GMO food labeling already are gearing up for their next battle state: Oregon. â€œWeâ€™re just waiting to gather our signatures now,â€ said Scott Bates, chief petitioner on a 2014 ballot measure that would require labeling…

October 30th, 2013

| The New York Times

Vote on Labeling Modified Food Spurs Costly Battle in Washington State

By KIRK JOHNSON - A ballot measure in next weekâ€™s election will give voters here the chance to make Washington the first state to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods. But the question of whether to put a few words on a package has touched off a surprisingly high-stakes, big-dollar fight with potential implications for other states.

October 29th, 2013

Junk Food Companies Dish up More Anti-GMO Dough

By Kim O'Donnel - With just one week left until Washington state voters decide on I-522, the ballot initiative to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs), money for the opposition continues to pour in…

October 17th, 2013

GMO labeling foes pour millions into Washington contest

By Ben Goad - "Washington State is this fall's ground zero in our battle for the consumersÃ¢ï¿½ï¿½ right to know," said Colin O'Neil, director of government affairs at the Center for Food Safety. "Yet in the face of the $17 million raised, we remain hopeful that Washingtonians will see past the attack ads and vote yes for labeling."

October 16th, 2013

Washington state sues lobbyists over campaign against GMO labeling

By Carey Gillam - A lobbying group for major U.S. food manufacturers has violated campaign finance laws in its attempt to block a measure that would require labeling of genetically modified foods in Washington state, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the state's attorney general…

October 8th, 2013

The battle lines on food labeling

By JENNY HOPKINSON - Washington state voters look ready to deliver the countryâ€™s first mandatory GMO labeling law with no strings attached early next month…

October 6th, 2013

Washington state battles over genetically modified food

By Elizabeth Weise - Washington state is the next battleground in an ongoing effort by food activists to get products containing genetically engineered ingredients labeled.

September 23rd, 2013

| One Green Planet

The Movement is Growing: Non-GMO Products Could Reach $264 Billion in U.S. Sales by 2017

Aisling Maria Cronin - Andrew Kimbrell, the executive director of the Center for Food Safety, states that â€œwe all have the basic human right to know what we put in our bodies and where it came from. If food manufacturers and elected officials donâ€™t want to put the facts of food ingredients on product labels, you can bet something is very wrong.â€

September 22nd, 2013

| Seattle Times

Initiative 522: Familiar groups lead fight on GMO labeling

By Melissa Allison - Monsanto and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, the largest donors so far in Washington's upcoming ballot contest over labeling genetically engineered foods, know this fight well. They squared off over the same issue in California last year.

September 17th, 2013

Elizabeth Warren joins GMO labeling fray

By JENNY HOPKINSON - Sen. Elizabeth Warren has joined the GMO labeling debate, but consumer advocates arenâ€™t entirely pleased with her position…

September 16th, 2013

| Seattle Times

TV ads launched in fight over food labeling

By PHUONG LE (Associated Press) - Money is pouring in from many of the same donors who lined up on opposite sides of a similar food-labeling measure that failed in California last year…

September 6th, 2013

GMO foes blast Scientific American editorial decrying labeling laws

By David Knowles - In the growing battle over GMO foods, science is being used as a weapon. GMO labeling activists are decrying an editorial in Scientific American that takes aim at labeling laws for genetically engineered foods as â€œunscientific.â€

August 10th, 2013

| Seattle Times

On voters' plates: genetically engineered crops

By Melissa Allison - Get ready for a food fight. When Washington voters decide Initiative 522 this fall, they will do more than determine whether to label food that contains genetically engineered ingredients…

August 1st, 2013

NY Steps Into Fray of GMO Labeling

By Ivan Pentchoukov - Labeling opponents say that if the FDA deemed genetically engineered foods unsafe, it would label them so. However, â€œthe FDA does not label if the product is unsafe or considered to be unhealthful,â€ noted Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. â€œIf something is proven to be unsafe, they take it off the shelves.â€

| Portland Press Herald

LePage may OK bill requiring labels for genetically modified foods

By Steve Mistler - Advocates for a bill that would require food producers to label products that contain genetically modified ingredients believe they have won a key ally: Gov. Paul LePage.

June 27th, 2013

| Food Safety News

With Recent Victories, Movement to Label GMOs Gains Steam

By Helena Bottemiller - More than six months after a big defeat in California, the movement to label foods containing genetically modified organisms appears to be picking up steam across the country. In the past three weeks, Connecticut and Maine passed labeling bills, the U.S…

June 18th, 2013

| Huffington Post

Chipotle Starts Labeling GMO Ingredients On Website Menu

By Joe Satran - Many consumers think of Chipotle Mexican Grill as a healthy place to eat -- or at least a healthy alternative to other fast-food chains. The brand often promotes its commitment to naturally raised meats and local produce in a bid to distance itself from places like Taco Bell and McDonald's…

June 16th, 2013

Pressure by local activists helped pass Connecticut's GMO-labeling law

By Judy Benson - "Connecticut is definitely a leader in being the first state," said Rebecca Spector, West Coast director at the nonprofit Center for Food Safety who headed the group's work with campaigns in Connecticut and other states. "This gives other states more of a push to pass their own legislation."

June 12th, 2013

Labels sought for genetically modified food

By Dan D'Ambrosio - From Maine to Washington, a growing number of states are taking on the issue of genetically engineered foods, fanning the flames of a decades-old debate about whether the products are dangerous to human health…

June 11th, 2013

| Bangor Daily News

Maine House overwhelmingly supports GMO labeling requirement

By Matthew Stone - The Maine House took a step Tuesday toward requiring genetically modified food products carry special labels. If the measure ultimately becomes law, its success will depend on action taken by lawmakers in four nearby states.

Connecticut Passes Nation's First GMO Labeling Law

Clare Leschin-Hoar - Itâ€™s not the muscle-backed GMO labeling law most advocates hoped for, but it is official: Connecticut lawmakers passed a bill that would require food products that contain genetically modified ingredients such as corn, soybean or sugar beet to reflect that on the label.

| New York Times

Connecticut Approves Labeling Genetically Modified Foods

By STEPHANIE STROM - Connecticut on Monday became the first state to pass a bill that would require food manufacturers to label products that contain genetically modified ingredients â€” but only after other conditions are met.

Debating GMOs in Congress and in the Streets

By Steve Holt - "Considering that loyal states' rights Senators like Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) didn't vote for the amendment shows the tremendous lengths that biotech companies like Monsanto went to defeat the amendment and distort the meaning about the amendment," Colin O'Neil, Director of Government Affairs at the Center for Food Safety, tells TakePart.

House OKs GMO labeling bill, sets up Senate action in 2014

By Andrew Stein - The Vermont House voted 107-37 on Thursday to advance a bill that would require the labeling of foods derived from genetically modified organisms. The vote marks the furthest any such legislation has moved in the United States, and it pushes the bill to a third and final reading in the House on Friday…

Senators Propose Federal Legislation to Label GMO Food

By Michelle Goldstein - In an exciting move in Washington, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) together have sponsored new federal legislation that requires the labeling of all genetically engineered food in the U.S. The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act is the first national labeling bill to be introduced in Congress since 2010. U.S…

April 25th, 2013

| St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Bill would require labels on genetically engineered foods

By Georgina Gustin - Federal legislation that would require food labels to identify genetically engineered ingredients was introduced Wednesday, adding to growing efforts at the state level…

April 24th, 2013

| San Francisco Chronicle

GMO foods subject of bill in U.S. Senate

By Stacy Finz - On the heels of last year's defeat on the issue in California, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., have introduced a bill to order the Food and Drug Administration to mandate the labeling of genetically engineered foods. "This is big because for the first time in 13 years the U.S…

March 31st, 2013

GMO food labels would benefit Minnesota consumers

Editorial - Lawmakers in Minnesota and nearly two dozen other states are considering whether to require labels on genetically engineered foods and seeds â€” also known as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs…

March 22nd, 2013

| Statesman Journal

Lawmakers ponder genetically engineered fish, foods

By Queenie Wong. A day after several major grocery chains agreed not to sell genetically modified seafood, the AquAdvantage salmon landed in the Oregon Legislatureâ€™s lap.

March 21st, 2013

Hawaii Senate defers GMO food labeling bill

By ANITA HOFSCHNEIDER, Associated Press. The agricultural industry has won a victory in the Hawaii Senate. The Hawaii Senate committees on agriculture, consumer protection and health agreed Thursday to table a proposal that would have required labels on imported genetically modified food. Sen…

March 19th, 2013

| Associated Press (NPA Press Release)

Natural Products Association Calls for National Standard on GMO Labeling

Nation's Largest Association for Natural Products Joins Growing Movement "People Have a Right to Know What's in Their Food," Says NPA Exec. Dir.

March 18th, 2013

| New York Times

Letters: Knowing What's in the Food We Eat

Letter to the Editor on GE Food Labeling from CFS's Executive Director Andrew Kimbrell

March 18th, 2013

| The Oregonian

Oregon could ban genetically engineered fish, require labeling of genetically modified foods

By Yuxing Zheng. SALEM -- Oregon could become the first state in the nation to require the labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients under several bills in the Legislature.

March 4th, 2013

| Addison County Independent

Vt. House committee approves GMO labeling bill

Vermont is one step closer to becoming the first state to put mandatory labels on genetically modified food products. On Friday, the House Agriculture Committee, after weeks of testimony, passed H.112, or the â??GMO labeling bill,â? by an 8-3 vote. H.112 requires producers to put labels on raw agricultural and processed, packaged food products that are genetically engineered…

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