Labeling

EU Approves Law To Ban Greenwashing On Product Labels

January 19, 2024 Paige Bennett, EcoWatch. Create! European Union (EU), greenwashing, Labeling, Sustainability

The European Parliament has voted to adopt a law regulating sustainability claims on product labels. The law will prohibit retailers from making general environmental claims and sustainability claims without evidence. The law bans the use of terms including “eco,” “biodegradable,” “environmentally friendly,” “natural” and “climate neutral” without evidence. The EU will now require sustainability labels to be linked to official certifications or those established by public authorities, such as the the EU Ecolabel, the European Environmental Bureau reported. Further, the law addresses carbon offsetting, banning labels from noting that products have a “neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment” because of companies’ participation in carbon offsetting programs.

EPA Refuses To Allow Warning Labels For Glyphosate

August 17, 2019 By Alexandra Jacobo, Nationofchange.org Educate! California, EPA, glyphosate, Labeling

The Environmental Protection Agency is protecting Monsanto by refusing to approve warning labels for products that contain glyphosate. Although the Internation Agency for Research on Cancer has labeled glyphosate – the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup – as a “probable carcinogen”, the EPA is adamant the research has failed to prove a significant public risk to human health. The EPA’s decision is in response to a court order obtained by Monsanto against the state of California.

USDA Opens The Door To New Untested, Unlabeled GMOs

July 27, 2019 Pat Thomas, Organicconsumers.org Resist! Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling, USDA

On June 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed to overhaul longstanding regulations governing genetically modified organisms (GMO). The proposed new rule would revise the agency's current method for regulating genetically modified plants, and would exclude newer so-called “gene-edited” GMOs. In a statement, the USDA said the new rule came "in response to advances in genetic engineering." A week later, in the political equivalent of a one-two-punch, President Trump bolstered the USDA’s proposal by signing an executive order directing the USDA...

Russia’s Clear GMO Labeling Rules Reach The Shelves Across Eurasian Economic Union

January 3, 2019 Staff, Sustainablepulse.com Create! Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling, Russia

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), including the countries of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Belarus, has introduced clear GMO labeling on all food and supplement products containing genetically modified organisms, starting from last week. Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) announced in 2016 that it was inviting all EAEU countries to apply a “GMO” label on the packaging of food products that contain genetically modified organisms. The Rospotrebnadzor and the EAEU confirmed the proposed amendments to the technical regulations on the labeling of food products in the EAEU, despite objections from some European Union food manufacturers...

‘Natural’ Settlements Good For Consumers—But Ridding The Food Supply Of Pesticides Would Be Better

August 25, 2018 Katherine Paul, Organicconsumers.org Resist! Food and Agriculture, glyphosate, Labeling, Pesticides

According to the joint statement we issued with our co-plaintiffs, Beyond Pesticides and Moms Across America: At a time specified by the agreement, packaging for General Mills Nature Valley Granola bars will no longer bear the term “100% Natural Whole Grain Oats.” Agreements like the one with General Mills are just the first step. We still have to push for a long-term solution to the problem of using the word "natural" in ways that mislead consumers. More important, we need to push for a food system free of unnatural ingredients, including pesticides. A new report this week highlights, yet again, the widespread contamination of our food with this glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller. The recent verdict in the Dewayne Johnson v. Monsanto Co. also shines a spotlight on glyphosate—its potential to cause cancer and the potential legal ramifications for food companies whose products are contaminated with it.

Judge Says Public Doesn’t Need Cancer Warning Label

March 2, 2018 Zen Honeycutt, Ecowatch.com Educate! Cancer, Courts, Labeling

A California federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the public does not need a warning label to inform us that cancer-causing and harmful chemicals in glyphosate herbicides are in our food or products, temporarily relieving manufacturers from the responsibility of being honest with their customers. At a time when more and more American families are struggling with diseases and their high cost, one man decided that it was an injustice to the chemical companies to have to tell us about the presence of their chemicals. Senior United States District Judge William B. Shubb released his ruling regarding the case of Wheat Growers and Monsanto against the California Environmental Protection Agency (CA EPA), Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and the CA attorney general to remove glyphosate, the declared active chemical ingredient in Roundup...

Is Big Food’s Lobbying Arm On The Brink Of Extinction?

December 12, 2017 Katherine Paul, organicconsumers.org Educate! Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling, Lobbying

At the height of the GMO labeling battle, we not-so-fondly referred to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) as “Monsanto’s Evil Twin.” Last week, a former GMA executive told Politico that to him, the food industry lobbying group seems like “the dinosaur waiting to die.” For consumers who blame the GMA for engineering the defeat of four state ballot initiatives that would have required labels on genetically engineered foods, then teaming up with Monsanto and some Big Organic brands to ram through federal legislation that stripped states of the right to pass GMO labeling laws, visions of the GMA drawing its last bullying breath are accompanied by the sweet taste of karma. Consumers can take satisfaction in the fact that they’ve played a role in what some say is the diminishing power of the GMA over Washington policy. For many, gratification—even the delayed variety—is worth stirring up trouble in the marketplace if it results in brands cleaning up their acts on issues of health, transparency and accountability. #GMAExit—a ‘burgeoning trend’? On Friday, Dec. 1, Mars, Inc., the sixth-largest privately held food company in the U.S., confirmed reports it will exit the GMA. Mars is the fourth Big Food company to exit GMA this year. The first was Campbell Soup Co., which said in July that it wouldn’t renew its membership. Campbell CEO Denise Morrison said at the time that Campbell’s had found itself “at odds with some of [GMA’s] positions.”

Monsanto’s Mess–Four Signs Consumers Are Winning

June 16, 2017 Katherine Paul, www.organicconsumers.org Resist! EPA, FDA, Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling, Monsanto

By Katherine Paul for Organic Consumers Association - Next month will mark one year since Congress obliterated Vermont’s GMO labeling law and replaced it with its own faux-labeling measure. The DARK Act was an outright attack on consumer and states’ rights. Still, then-President Obama refused to veto it. We lost the right to labels on GMO foods. But we never lost our determination to expose Monsanto’s corrupt manipulation of government agencies, or the truth about just how harmful Roundup herbicide is to humans and the environment. Fast forward to today. Monsanto is facing down scores of lawsuits by people, or their families, who were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup. Those lawsuits have led to revelations about possible collusion between Monsanto employees and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials to bury evidence of Roundup’s carcinogenicity. Meanwhile the EPA, perhaps fearing consumer backlash, refuses to rule on whether to renew the license for glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup), even though we’re now nearly two years past the deadline.

Non-Profits Sue Monsanto Over Misleading Labeling Of Popular Herbicide Roundup

April 14, 2017 Katherine Paul, www.organicconsumers.org Resist! Labeling, Lawsuit, Monsanto, Nonprofits

By Katherine Paul for Organic Consumers Association - Washington, DC- Two nonprofit organizations filed a lawsuit against Monsanto for misleading the public by labeling its popular weedkiller Roundup as “target[ing] an enzyme found in plants but not in people or pets.” This lawsuit claims this statement is false, deceptive, and misleading, because the enzyme targeted by glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is, in fact, found in people and pets. Beyond Pesticides and Organic Consumers Association (OCA), through their attorneys, Richman Law Group, filed jointly on behalf of the general public in Washington D.C. under the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act. “The unequivocal nature of Monsanto’s label claim on Roundup belies the complexity of human biology and the impact this highly toxic chemical has on the functioning of the human gut bacteria, essential to our health,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. “With this claim, Monsanto is falsely telling the public that its product cannot hurt them,” he said. “Corporations must be held to a high standard when it comes to the information they include on product labels, especially when it comes to the issue of safety,” said Ronnie Cummins...

Mandatory Carcinogen Warning On Monsanto’s Roundup Coming Soon

February 17, 2017 Stephen Fox, www.opednews.com Educate! Food and Agriculture, Labeling, Monsanto

By Stephen Fox for Op Ed News - California can require Monsanto to label its popular weed killer Roundup as a carcinogen, according to a ruling by a judge in Fresno, California, although the corporation predictably sings its weary mantra that maintains that the product is "harmless," now beginning to seem like a losing battle. It is far beyond my powers of comprehension to understand how it is that Bayer want to take on this rat's nest of liability and cancer labels by buying Monsanto for $66 billion, not even a fire sale price! California would be the first state to order this level of labeling if this decision by the California Carcinogen Identification Committee is sustained by further court action.

Largest Campaign Finance Fine In History For Anti-GMO Labeling Initiative

November 4, 2016 Staff, www.atg.wa.gov Resist! Corporations, Corruption, Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling

By Staff of GMA - OLYMPIA — In a historic decision, a Thurston County Superior Court judge today ordered the Grocery Manufacturers Association to pay $18 million in penalties and punitive damages, after Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit revealed GMA intentionally violated Washington campaign finance laws. The case arose from Ferguson’s investigation of the finances of opposition to voter Initiative 522, which would have required labeling of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in food sold to consumers.

Non Profits Sue General Mills For False And Misleading Use Of ‘Natural’

August 27, 2016 Staff, www.organicconsumers.org Resist! Food and Agriculture, Labeling, Lawsuit, Nonprofit

By Staff of Organic Consumers Association - Washington, DC - Today, three non profit organizations filed a lawsuit against General Mills for misleading the public by labeling their Nature Valley brand granola bars “Made with 100% NATURAL whole grain OATS.” It was recently discovered that the herbicide chemical glyphosate, an ingredient in Roundup and hundreds of other glyphosate-based herbicides, is present in the Nature Valley granola bars, which consumers expect to be natural and free of toxins.

Senate Food Fight Erupts Over Sham GMO Labeling Bill

June 30, 2016 Lauren McCauley, www.commondreams.org Resist! Bernie Sanders, Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling

By Lauren McCauley for Common Dreams - The pending "compromise" GMO labeling bill has food safety and consumer advocates both in and out of government scrambling to block the legislation, which they warn will destroy popular efforts to label products made with genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. Sen. Bernie Sanders has vowed to put a hold on the legislation, which would prevent it from coming up for debate unless proponents can muster 60 votes.

Sold Out. Again.

June 24, 2016 Katherine Paul, www.organicconsumers.org Resist! Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling, Monsanto

By Katherine Paul for Organic Consumers Association - It’s hard to know which is worse. The corporations that profit from poisoning your food and water. Or the politicians who will happily sell you down the river for a few campaign contributions. Today, our “leaders” in the U.S. Senate proudly announced that they’ve “reached a deal” on a federal GMO labeling bill. No matter how they spin it—and they will spin it—this “compromise” is nothing more than a handout to Monsanto, an industry-brokered deal intended to legally sanction the right of corporations to deceive you, the consumer.

Peeling Back The Curtain On Monsanto

May 24, 2016 Paul Thacker, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Food and Agriculture, GMOs, Labeling, Monsanto

By Paul Thacker for The Huffington Post - For nearly 30 years, Carey Gillam has worked as a business reporter covering corporate America, the last 17 of those with Reuters, where she specialized in writing about food and agriculture. In that role, she gained a reputation for her in-depth skeptical eye on issues involving GMO (genetically modified organisms) crops and the pesticides used with them. Her award-winning coverage has taken her across the country, visiting farmers and ranchers and exploring the high-tech laboratories and corporate offices of some of the largest agribusinesses corporations in the world.

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