DARK Act update

This article was originally published in September 2015

Thank you to the many PCC members and shoppers who contacted their Congressional representatives and asked them to vote no on HR 1599, commonly known as “Deny Americans the Right to Know [DARK] Act.” H.R. 1599 would nullify three state laws to label genetically engineered (GE) foods and preempt mandatory GE labeling nationwide. It also would allow GE foods to be labeled “natural.”

We expected the bill to pass the House. The good news is that coordinated advocacy efforts, including the PCC Advocates e-newsletter, were successful in encouraging your Washington state U.S. Representatives who were undecided to vote no.

The final showdown comes as the Senate introduces its own version. Sign up for PCC Advocates at pccmarkets.com/enews and we’ll keep you posted on future opportunities to take action

Also in this issue

Staff picks

No one knows better than PCC staff what products are worth trying. Here's a collection of their favorites this month, including not-to-be-missed cheese, chocolate and wine.

Country-of-origin labeling?

The U.S. House repealed Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), which lets consumers know the origin of foods.

Soil & Sea: reports from our producers

Read about California almond woes, WSU testing a robotic apple picker, the egg shortage that has bakers scrambling, the threat of warm water to local salmon, and more.