GMO-Free Inauguration
Posted: January 14th, 2013 | Filed under: Events | Tags: Barack Obama, DC, Demonstration, EPA, FDA, gmo, GMO Labeling, GMO-Free, Inaugural, Inauguration, Monsanto, National Mall, petition, President Obama, Promise, Protest, USDA, Washington, White House |
As the world comes to Washington, DC to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama, safe food activists will be gathering to demand the President follow up with his campaign promise to label genetically engineered foods.
Over 90% of Americans want food labels to indicate if the ingredients came from a genetically engineered plant or animal. Polls show that across all political party affiliations Americans believe that they should have the fundamental right to know the source of their food.
Since President Obama has been in office, he’s placed former Monsanto employees in positions of enormous power at the FDA, EPA, and the USDA. This regulatory capture of America’s food system has made our food supply less safe. During Obama’s tenure as President there has been a large increase in the number of food recalls due to bacteria and other adulterants.
There have been two different petitions on the White House’s website that have met the signature threshold for a response from the President. Over 6 months later, the White House has failed to respond to people’s concerns.
On Monday, January 21, come join us on the National Mall in Washington, DC to raise awareness about GMO and to demand that President Obama follow-up with his promise to label GMO foods. We will be gathering in Dupont Circle at 9:00 AM and we’ll depart for the National Mall at 9:30 AM. Please dress warm!
+ RSVP on Facebook
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Adam Eidinger 202-744-2671 |
Safe Food Activists Sponsor a
GMO-Free Inauguration
President Obama’s Supporters ask him to Fulfill Promise to Label Genetically Engineered Foods (GMO)s
Joining the estimated 1 million visitors in Washington, DC for 2nd Inauguration of President Barack Obama, hundreds of safe food activists will hold a “GMO Free Inauguration” by sharing organic & non-GMO food and hot drinks via a roving musical assembly. The group will call upon President Obama to follow through with his 2007 campaign promise to label foods with genetically engineered (GMO) ingredients. The group will gather at 9:00 a.m. on the South side of Dupont Circle and walk to the National Mall for the inauguration ceremonies.
WHO: Safe Food Activists, Supporters of Barack Obama & Concerned Citizens
WHAT: GMO-Free Inauguration Roving Assembly
WHERE: Dupont Circle & the National Mall
WHEN:Monday, January 21, at 9 a.m. in Dupont Circle & March to the National Mall at 9:30 a.m.
WHY: To urge President Obama to mandate labeling of GMO foods
“President Obama has had over 4 years to give Americans the same simple food labels citizens of over 40 countries enjoy,” says, Emilianne Slaydon, founder of GMO Free DC. “With over 90% of Americans in support of labels for GE foods, if Obama acts there’s no demographic he would upset except Wall Street agribusiness interests and processed food companies.” Last fall over $45 million dollars was spent by the biotech food industry in a lopsided battle to defeat GMO food labels in California. While the voter initiative lost by less than 2% points, numerous states across America have begun a process of getting GMO food labeling legislation passed.
“We’re tired of waiting for the Obama Administration to respond to our ‘We The People’ petitions on the White House website,” says Gene, an anonymous Occupy Monsanto activist, “So we are going to inform President Obama’s supporters that he’s failed to answer our concerns.” On September 23, 2011, on the second day after the “We The People” petitioning microsite was launched, the first GMO Labeling petition was created. It has received over 30,000 signatures and has not received a response, while a petition on raw milk, which was also created on the same day, was responded to after only 6,000 signatures. In April of 2011 another GMO Labeling petition was created and 8 months & over 60,000 signatures later, there is still no response from the White House. In the meantime, the White House has answered three petitions on cannabis legalization, as well as responded to petitions on ephemeral issues like building the Death Star and the White House beer recipe.
Citizens will be accompanied by a mobile sound system that will be playing audio of President Obama’s GMO labeling campaign promise that was made on November 10, 2007 in Des Moines, Iowa. President Obama said “Here’s what I’ll do as president… we’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified because Americans should know what they’re buying.” (Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaaB6NE1TI )
Activists will also be handing out information concerning GMO foods and how customers can avoid them in lieu of Federal GMO labeling guidelines.
More information at https://Occupy-Monsanto.com
