700 + Chefs Petition Congress to Label GMO Foods
Tom Colicchio, José Andrés, Art Smith and Sam Talbot are just several of the more than 700 chefs who want to know what they’re serving their customers. The chefs have all signed a petition to Congress asking for support on legislation to label GMO foods.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) are sponsoring the legislation that calls for national action on labeling GMO foods.
“As chefs, we know that choosing the right ingredients is an absolutely critical part of cooking,” the petition states. “But when it comes to whether our ingredients contain genetically modified organisms, we’re in the dark. It’s time for Congress to move us forward, not backward, when it comes to our right to know what’s in our food.”
The chefs were joined by advocates from a number of food advocacy groups including Food Policy Action, Environmental Working Group, Center for Food Safety and Just Label It among others, to urge Congress to support the labeling legislation.
“As a chef and father, I want to know what I’m serving my customers and kids, and the majority of Americans want honest information about the food on their tables,” Chef Colicchio, owner of Craft Restaurants and co-founder of Food Policy Action said in a statement. “Having honest, clear labeling of the foods we eat is a fundamental right, one that’s worth fighting for.”
A recount is underway on the GMO labeling ballot in Oregon last month and lawsuits are attempting to thwart Vermont’s GMO labeling bill passed earlier this year.
“This is about transparency, not technology,” Scott Faber, EWG’s vice president of government affairs said in a statement. “Consumers simply want to know what’s in their food and how it’s grown – just like consumers in 64 other countries.”
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Image: Jenny Downing
