Congress Poised to Pass Bill Taking Away Your Right to Know What's in Your Food

Tell your Congressman or Congresswoman to vote "No" on House of Representatives Bill H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food Act," coming to a vote in Washington, D.C on March 8 The House of Representatives will vote this week on a controversial "national food uniformity" labeling law that will take away local government and states' power to require food safety food labels such as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. This bill would also prevent citizens in local municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically engineered foods and ingredients such as Monsanto's recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) be labeled. The House will vote March 8, 2006 on a bill that would gut state food safety and labeling laws. H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food Act," lowers the bar on food safety by overturning state food safety laws that are not "identical" to federal law. Hundreds of state laws and regulations are at risk, including those governing the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish. The bill is being pushed by large supermarket chains and food manufacturers, spearheaded by the powerful Grocery Manufacturers of America. Big food corporations and the biotech industry understand that consumers are more and more concerned about food safety, genetic engineering, and chemical-intensive agriculture, and are reading labels more closely. They understand that pesticide and mercury residues and hazardous technologies such as genetic engineering and food irradiation will be rejected if there are truthful labels required on food products. Industry-sponsored H.R. 4167 is gaining momentum and must be stopped! Act now! Preserve local and regional democracy and protect yourself and your family from unsafe food by sending an email or calling your Representative and urging them to vote "No" on H.R. 4167. Please Take Action Now--Send a Message to Your Congress Member in the House of Representatives to Vote "No" on H.R. 4167 (read full text of the bill here) Related News Headlines 3/2 - New York Times Slams Special Interest Bill to Eliminate State Food Safety Labeling Law 3/1 - Congress vs. Food Safety (Chatanooga Press) 2/28 - Industry Lobbies Congress Over Food Labels (Associated Press) 2/25 - States right in food fight (Toledo Blade) 2/24 - State Leaders Take Charge (Wall Stree Journal) 2/18 - Feinstein-Boxer: Don't Preempt California Food Safety Laws (Ubanet/CA) 2/2 - Federal food label law would trump California's Prop. 65 (Scripps Howard News Service) 1/30 - "Food Labeling Uniformity" Bill Will Actually Eliminate Consumer Choice -- Act Now 1/16 - Corporate Food Giants & Congress Threaten States' Rights to Label Food 12/15 - House Republicans Move to Kill State Food Safety Labels 11/8 - Industry Pressing Congress to Outlaw States' Rights to Require Labels for GE Food

March 13, 2006 Subject: Dear Congress Representative, As a health conscious consumer, and as one of your constituents, I urge you to vote "No" on H.R. Bill 4167, the "<b style="color:black;background-color:#ffff66">National</b> <b style="color:black;background-color:#a0ffff">Uniformity</b> for <b style="color:black;background-color:#99ff99">Food</b> <b style="color:black;background-color:#ff9999">Act</b>," coming to a vote in the House of Representatives on March 8. Despite industry claims, this is a profoundly undemocratic and anti-consumer bill that will take away the right of local governments and states to require <b style="color:black;background-color:#99ff99">food</b> safety labels on <b style="color:black;background-color:#99ff99">food</b> and grocery items. H.R. Bill 4167 will eliminate current <b style="color:black;background-color:#99ff99">food</b> safety <b style="color:black;background-color:#99ff99">food</b> labels such as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. This bill would also prevent citizens in local municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically engineered foods and ingredients be labeled. As a consumer I strongly resent this denial of my basic right to know what's in my <b style="color:black;background-color:#99ff99">food</b>, and this denial of my local and state government's power to protect the health of myself and my family. Please vote "No," on H.R. Bill 4167. Sincerely, Your signature will be added from the information you provide.		In order for this message to be successfully delivered to the appropriate target(s), all fields are required.           Title    Select TitleMr.Ms.Mrs.MissDr.RabbiFr.Rev.Hon.Br.Sr.Msr. First Name * Last Name * Email * Street * Street 2 City * State/Region Select One... Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other * Zip/Postal Code    * Please remember my info