This Senator Wants You to Know You're Eating GMO Food

When we thought we lost hope after Obama quietly signed what is now known as the Monsanto Protection Act (MPA) into law back in March, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) proposed the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act. This amendment will challenge the Monsanto Protection Act, a provision added to March's spending bill that quietly sailed through without any debate or media coverage. The Monsanto Protection Act has made it legal for Monsanto to sell genetically modified seeds even when a state court has made it illegal to do so. In other words, Monsanto is now backed by the United States government, and we do not have to be informed about their actions.

Fortunately for us, we have the support of Sen. Jeff Merkley, who wants to make sure Americans know if the food we consume has been genetically modified or not. Whether you consume fast food or make it to your local farmer’s market every weekend, it is important to know if our food is genetically modified if you want to know. This is what the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act is all about.

Sen. Merkley speaks out against MPA: “That outcome is unfortunate and unacceptable because the content of the policy rider is nothing short of astounding. It allows the unrestricted sale and planting of new variants of genetically modified seeds that a court ruled have not been properly examined for their effect on other farmers, the environment, and human health.”

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has agreed to back the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act. This is inspiring because most folks find it hard to compete with the millions of corporate dollars that most likely inspired the secret addition.

This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on April 24 and it has been assigned to a congressional committee. It currently has 38 co-sponsors, the majority of them Democrat. Get involved by calling your state senator to support the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act or by signing this petition.

Follow Maribel Hermosillo on Twitter @Cualania for updates.

Update: The headline on this article was changed to the current version.