Is Taxpayer Money Being Spent On Pro-GMO Propaganda?

A recently proposed federal spending bill includes funding of taxpayer dollars to “educate” you, the consumer, on GMOs. 

We already know that Monsanto has our government in their back pockets, but government policies are also influenced by many industry “big guys”.  Processed food makers do not want to list how much of their product is GMO.  They realize that consumers are becoming smart label readers and getting wise to the idea that GMO’s just might not be as safe as you thought.  Labeling these products as GMO would likely hurt profits.

Of course, lobbying is nothing new. One solid example of this influence, according to the book “The Big Fat Surprise” (a terrific and important read!):

Some of the biggest industry pressures over past years have come from the big food manufacturers such as General Foods, Quaker Oats, Hines, The National Biscuit Company, and the Corn Products Refining Corporation.  In 1941 these companies created the Nutrition Foundation, a group that worked to influence opinion with far more subtle techniques than striding through the senator’s offices.  They steered the course of science at it’s very source by developing relationships with academic researchers, funding important scientific conferences and funneling many millions of dollars directly into research — even before the NIH began funding research.  The foundation, along with food companies working individually, was therefore able to influence scientific opinion as it was being formed.

But what if they were actually using your money to campaign/advertise their chemical-like ways?  That may be what we are looking at if you don’t take action now! 

Alliance For Natural Health,  an organization dedicated to promoting natural health and consumer freedom of choice in healthcare, has just reported that:

Hidden within a large federal spending bill is a proposal for $3 million to go toward consumer education and outreach to ‘promote understanding and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology’ — a campaign to be carried out jointly by the FDA and the USDA.

So, just to break this down – this proposal would spend OUR money (taxpayer money) in an effort to convince Americans that GMO’s are safe and maybe even that they don’t need to be labeled. They want to spend your money to “calm your fears”.

According to the Alliance for Natural Health:

This is far from the first time that the feds have spent taxpayer money to browbeat those same taxpayers with government propaganda. Last year, we reported on federal efforts to enhance “vaccine confidence”—essentially, an attempt to steamroll citizens who have legitimate concerns. Now it’s the same on the GMO front.

There has been strong grassroot efforts made in several states to support mandatory GMO labeling, several of which have failed after a massive campaign (and huge sums of money spent) by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and many of its allies.

What Can You, The Taxpayer, Do To Stop This?

The free market system works swimmingly well, however, its hard to “vote with your dollars” if you don’t have the facts you need to make an informed decision.  Labeling allows the ability to make better choices if you so choose.

I realize that $3 million is not a lot of money as government spending goes… but I can think of a dozen different ways that money could be better spent.  If big food manufacturers and Monsanto want to market GMOs, they should do it with their own money.

If this issue is important to you, I urge you to take action and call your state representatives or write to Congress to urge your representatives to oppose the inclusion of a rider that would spend taxpayer dollars on “education” programs to convince Americans to “accept” GMOs. Please send your message immediately.

Source:  Alliance for Natural Health