Gwyneth Paltrow lent a touch of Hollywood glamor Wednesday to a campaign against legislation that would prevent the labelling of genetically modified food in the United States. The Oscar-winning actress and mother of two appeared on Capitol Hill alongside Democratic senators opposed to the so-called Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act. Nicknamed the Denying Americans the Right-to-Know Act, or DARK Act, by its opponents, the bill is pending Senate action after clearing the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
“I’m not here as an expert,” said Paltrow, who runs a lifestyle blog and stars in films. ‘I’m here as an American mother who honestly believes that I have the right to know what’s in the food I feed my family,” she said. Paltrow is among a number of celebrities who have endorsed the Just Label It campaign that is aiming to derail the legislation.
“Every American in this great country has the right to know if the food they eat was created in a lab,” said Senator Jon Tester, a Democrat and farmer in Montana, his home state.
But the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food, a food industry group, says GMO labelling in the United States would create “consumer confusion” and jack up grocery bills by as much as $500 a year per family. It also dismissed Paltrow as another “out of touch Hollywood celebrity” who wants to “enshrine their lifestyle choices” on everyday American families.
“We are confident the Senate will stand with science and American facilities rather than the extreme agendas of Hollywood elites,” it said in a statement.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Paltrow comes to Washington in push for GMO labeling
