Text of the Cincinnati City Council’s GMO Labeling Resolution

City of Cincinnati

Date: October 12, 2012
To: Councilmember Wendell Young
From: John P. Curp, City Solicitor
Subject: Resolution — Supporting Labeling of Genetically Engineered Products

EXPRESSING the support of Council for the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered products so consumers are informed that the potential long-term risks of genetically engineered products to public health and the environment are largely unknown.

WHEREAS, the City of Cincinnati recognizes that consumers have the right to receive accurate and thorough information about the products they feed to their families; and

WHEREAS, the potential long-term risks to public health and the environment from genetically engineered products are largely unknown; and

WHEREAS, safety studies on genetically engineered products are limited because biotechnology companies generally prohibit their cultivation for research purposes in seed licensing agreements; and

WHEREAS, some independent peer-reviewed research that has been done on genetically engineered crops has reveled problems with liver and kidney functions in rats; deformities and neurological problems in vertebrates; and lower nutrition content in pesticide-resistant Roundup Ready crops; and

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure that genetically engineered crops are safe to grow, the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that genetically engineered products will not harm the environment and the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that genetically engineered food is safe to eat; and

WHEREAS, the United States federal agencies that regulate genetically engineered products, including crops and animals, have not yet enacted a comprehensive plan to adequately oversee and monitor genetically engineered products; and

WHEREAS, farmers who produce organic or non-genetically engineered crops run the risk of crop contamination from nearby genetically engineered crops; and

WHEREAS, farmers who unintentionally grow patented, genetically engineered seeds or who harvest crops that are contaminated with genetically engineered traits could lose marketing options and face costly lawsuits; and

WHEREAS, a 2008 CBS/New York Times poll found that 87 precent of the U.S. consumers wanted all genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Cincinnati, State of Ohio,

Section 1. That the City of Cincinnati supports mandatory labeling of all genetically engineered products.

Section 2. That this resolution be spread upon the minutes of Council and a copy sent to the following:

1. Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,Washington, DC 20460

2. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250

3. Margaret Hamberg M.D., Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993

4. Senators Sherrod Brown and Robert Portman, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510

5. Representatives Steve Chabot and Jean Schmidt, United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515

6. Food & Water Watch, 103 William H. Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45219

Submitted by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and Councilmember Wendell Young

Copy, paste, & customize the text of this resolution and sent it to your elected officials!

Lyrics to Doo-Occupy’s Anti-Monsanto Songs

Doo-Occupy has written & recorded a couple anti-Monsanto songs and has shared them with Occupy Monsanto. If you need a catchy tune to make your occupation of Monsanto a little more festive, look no further:

Download & Print Occupy Monsanto Stickers

Like the stickers in the GCU Action Kits and want more? Simply download the PDF’s of the stickers above and send the files to your nearest full-service print shop with your printing instructions (size of stickers, number of stickers, etc.). The stickers in the GCU Action Kit are 2 inches in diameter, but since the source files above are vector-based they can be printed even larger. We used Sticker Robot to print the 2-sided stickers in the GCU Action Kit (note: there is a 4 week turnaround time between ordering the stickers & receiving the stickers), but if need to save funds, you can have a large roll of the front side-only stickers printed for nearly half the price and in probably half the time.

Get Your Free Genetic Crimes Unit Action Kit

*** This offer expired August 17, 2012 ***

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In an effort to expose Monsanto’s greed and hold the Company accountable for their crimes, we are making Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU) Action Kits available for free to the first 100 groups who commit to Occupy Monsanto during the week of September 17th, 2012.

Each GCU Action kit contains:

• Hooded White Coverall (size: Medium or Large)
• Goggles
• Nitrile Gloves
• Respirator
• Genetic Crimes Unit Badge
• 50 Occupy Monsanto Bracelets
• Stickers
• Biohazard Crime Scene Tape
• Occupy Monsanto Hazmat Manual

Please fill out our handy-dandy form below with your mailing address, email address, coverall size (Medium or Large), and basic information (date, time, and location) about your Occupy Monsanto plans for the week of September 17th.

We have created a GCU map, similar to the one on our Facilities page, showing global GCU locations. When visitors click on these locations on the map, anonymous contact information for your GCU will appear. You will be added to our GCU email newsletter so we can send you periodic updates. At this time, we cannot use @aol.com e-mail addresses for anonymous GCU contacts. If you have any problems, please email GCU@occupy-monsanto.com.

GCU Sample Press Release

Below is a generic press release that can be used by your GCU to contact the media about your decontamination event. Just modify the sections within the brackets [ ] with your GCU’s information. To view some examples, check out the earlier Occupy Monsanto Press Releases.

GCU Media Liaison: [Press Liaison Name & Cell Phone Number]
GCU_[Your_City]@occupy-monsanto.com

[YOUR CITY IN CAPITAL LETTERS, BOLDFACE TYPE] – On [DAY OF THE WEEK], September [17-24], 2012, Occupy Monsanto’s field agents with the Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU), a group whose aim is to expose Monsanto’s crimes against humanity, will wear bio-hazmat suits during the occupation of the Monsanto facility located at [Street Address]. The GCU opposes Monsanto’s bid to increase spraying of crops with toxic weed killers like 2,4 D (the main ingredient in Agent Orange) and dicambia, the continued genetic contamination of the organic food supply, and other risks associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

[INSERT QUOTE] “In the name of Wall Street profits, chemical corporations such as Monsanto genetically engineer crops to withstand high doses of their herbicides and pesticides that contaminate our food and water, and have not been proven safe. We deserve to know what we are eating. Europe, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and other industrialized nations require the labeling of GMOs so that citizens can make informed choices. Other nations like Peru and France have even banned GMO crops. But thanks to companies like Monsanto, US consumers are denied the right to know if their food is GMO. ” said GCU’s [GCU ACTIVIST NAME/ALIAS]. “Monsanto pays Congress vast sums of money under the guise of lobbying efforts to keep GMO labels off their patented Frankenfood products. Our Congress is contaminated with GMOs and toxic chemicals, and the lack of rational, responsible labeling policy threatens our health and the health of the planet,” says [GCU ACTIVIST NAME/ALIAS].

WHO: Occupy Monsanto’s [YOUR CITY] Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU)
WHAT: Identifying Victims of Monsanto’s Genetic Crimes by GCU Agents in Bio-Hazmat Suits
WHEN: September [17-24], 2012 at [TIME]
WHERE: [ADDRESS OF MONSANTO FACILITY]

More than 1.1 million people have signed onto the JustLabelit.org citizens’ petition to the Food and Drug Administration for GMO labeling (the most to sign an FDA petition ever). Citizens across America demand that President Obama keep his campaign promise to label GMO foods. Video of the promise can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaaB6NE1TI In California Monsanto faces a 2012 ballot proposition on GMO labeling. On September 17, 2012 Occupy Monsanto is calling for hundreds of actions internationally, http://www.occupy-monsanto.com

Printable Occupy Monsanto Banners

Does your Genetic Crimes Unit need banners? Download the PDFs below, print them out, and inform the world of what is happening on the week of September 17th, 2012.

To print a banner, click on the design you like & download it (right click on PC or command click on Mac and “Save as file”), and take this file to your local print shop to have a full-color, 3′ x 9′ vinyl banner made. It should cost less than $200. If you choose 4′ x 12′ it will cost around $400.

Alternatively, you can use these designs to create your own hand-made signs. Most hardware stores have large canvas drop cloths that can be cut to size and hand-painted.

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Genetic Crimes Unit Incident Report

Click here to down a PDF of the Genetic Crimes Unit Incident Report

Help your Genetic Crime Unit assess genetic contamination in grocery stores, cafeterias, restaurants, homes, offices, schools, and nearby Monsanto facilities by filling out the G.C.U. Incident Report.

__Instructions__

1. Ask person what their last meal was. Fill out section “Description of Incident” based on their response.
2. Collect the person’s name. Tag the person if tags are available.
3. Obtain person’s e-mail address for future G.C.U. contact
4. Circle the person’s last meal based on the information provided in the “Description of the Incident”
5. Based on the likely level of genetic contamination, circle the appropriate number (10 is high levels of genetic contamination & 0 is no genetic contamination)
6. Based on the above information, fill out the Risk Level (4 is highest risk & 0 is no risk) of Health (H), Environment (E), Food Democracy (F), and Contamination (C).
7. Submit all Genetic Crimes field work to incident@occupy-monsanto.com and/or tweet at @GMO917 #occupymonsanto

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