Asbury Park Press | August 2, 2016

By Samantha Adams

For those of you who celebrated the defeat of The DARK Act (GMO anti-labeling bill) in the Senate this past March, you did so prematurely.

The bill is back in a different form, has already passed the Senate and the House, and is currently waiting for President Obama to sign it into law. Here are the particulars of The DARK Act 2.0, or Bill S. 764:

GMO labeling options would include QR codes, 1-800 numbers, or a symbol not yet created by the USDA. Instead of using simple words on the label, food manufacturers will get to choose how to label their GMO products with options including QR codes that you need to have an internet-connected smartphone to scan, or making consumers call 1-800 numbers and visit websites to find out if GMOs are in their product. This discriminates against anyone without a smartphone such as lower income Americans, the elderly, busy moms, people in rural areas with no cell phone service and the handicapped.

States will be prohibited from enacting different GMO labeling laws and current state laws will be preempted. This includes Vermont’s Law, Act 120, which requires food containing genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled.

Food manufacturers won’t be held liable. If a food company doesn’t comply with the law, their products won’t be recalled and there are no federal penalties for violations.

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