Victory: City in Florida to Declare Mandatory GMO Labeling Hot off the press! The city of Hallendale, Florida is standing up to the biotech bullies, drafting a resolution to institute the first GMO labeling bill in all of Florida as well as a resolution to stop antibiotic overuse. The vote was unanimous! “The city of Hallandale Beach recognizes that consumers want accurate and thorough information about the food they feed their families and the potential long-term risks to public health and the environment from genetically modified foods are unknown.” RESOLUTION NO. 2014 Reads: “A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH, FLORIDA, supporting MANDATORY LABELING OF ALL GENETICALLY MODIFIED PRODUCTS; and providing an effective date. WHEREAS, the City recognizes that consumers desire accurate and thorough information about the food they feed their families; and WHEREAS, the potential long-term risk to public health and the environment from genetically modified foods is unknown; and WHEREAS, safety studies on genetically modified foods have been limited due to the prohibition of cultivation for research purposes clauses contained in the seed licensing agreements of biotechnology companies;; and WHEREAS, some independent peer-reviewed research done on genetically modified crops has revealed problems with liver and kidney functions in rats, deformities and neurological problems in vertebrates, and lower nutrition content in Roundup Ready crops; and WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure that genetically modified crops are safe to grow, the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that genetically modified products will not harm the environment and the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that genetically modified food is safe to eat; and WHEREAS, the patchwork of federal agencies that regulates genetically modified crops and animals in the United States has failed to adequately oversee and monitor genetically modified products; and WHEREAS, farmers who produce organic or non-genetically modified crops run the risk of crop contamination from nearby genetically modified crops; and” Broward County Palm Beach had been hosting meetings to discuss the issue of GMOs in order to inform Florida residents. On their site, they explain: “It means your food is being messed with, and instead of sitting back and reading about it online, GMO Free Florida comes together every month to work toward a solution. The meeting isn’t just the best opportunity ever to connect with like minded anti-GMOers. It’s also a chance to make a real difference and help plan upcoming events. Being one person ain’t so bad after all. Meetings start at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month. Admission is free.” This is big news, as it proves grassroots efforts really can put Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, BASF, and other biotech companies in their place. If we all act together, we can defeat GMOs and other issues like the overuse of antibiotics. We can do better, and we are! For more information on overuse of antibiotics you can read Natural Society’s numerous articles covering the topic, such as the ones listed below, and stay tuned for more GMO news as it breaks. We’re winning this battle step by step.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 16:05:17 +0000