Growers and Grocers

This week, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would prevent anyone but the federal government from imposing labelling requirements for food.

The editorial slant behind Growers and Grocers is that consumers deserve the right to have information about the food they eat. They have the right to make educated choices about products at the market. This bill takes that right away.

On the face of it, H.R. 4167 seems like a good idea. It would impose nationwide standards for what should appear on a label. But let’s take a quick poll: How many think the national government is working in your interests? Anyone? How many of you think the national government, regardless of political affilation, is a tool of megacorporations? That’s why this bill should worry you.

For these large companies, this bill cuts their costs; they wouldn’t need to produce separate labels for different regions. But it also gives them a single point of control: Influence the national government, and no concerned locality can raise a voice to complain. If a state wanted to require producers to label genetically modified products, they’d be out of luck. Everyone knows by now how the meat industry influenced the first design of the food pyramid to give it a bigger chunk for meat than originally planned. Do you think that industry, or any other powerful lobby group, will fight to have more information on a label for the good of the consumer?

Information is power. Corporations don’t want you to have it, because you might not buy their product if you knew too much about it. Look at the way shoppers resist irradiated food, and you’ll see why a company would prefer not to mention it. And the federal government isn’t interested in helping you; they want to keep their jobs, which means kissing up to the big bank accounts behind a large corporation.

Call your representative. Or email him/her. Make sure you retain the right to know about your food.