Food Labels Worthless--Are You Angry Yet? (Wellness Under Attack)

I cut and pasted this article from Dr. Mercola's newsletter. I urge you to subscribe. He has one to the best websites for health related information that most health care professionals are too busy to share with you. (http://www.mercola.com)

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U.S. Eliminates State-Mandated Food Labeling

The U.S. House recently approved the National Uniformity for Food Act, a bill intended to override state laws on food safety labeling.
It would effectively eliminate more than 200 state laws, including tough California rules requiring food producers to warn consumers about carcinogenic ingredients.
Rushed Through for the Food Industry
Critics have complained that the bill was rushed through without complete hearings, as a favor to the food industry. The House voted down measures that would have allowed states to keep labels warning consumers about ingredients that could cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive health problems, and the use of carbon monoxide to treat meat.
Arsenic in Bottled Water
California's senators are threatening to keep the bill from coming to the Senate floor. As a result of California's current state laws, bottled water companies have cut arsenic levels, and bakers have taken carcinogen potassium bromate out of many baked goods.
$31 Million
Food industry advocates of the law have argued that laws that differ from state to state drive up costs, since manufacturers and distributors must comply with different rules in different states.Food industry corporations and trade groups contributed more than $3 million to congressional representatives in the last election cycle, and $31 million total since 1998.
San Francisco Chronicle March 9, 2006
Yahoo News March 6, 2006

Dr. Mercola's Comment:
An important practice you can do to protect your health is to read produce and food labels before you buy anything at the grocery store.
Unfortunately, the National Uniformity for Food Act may soon make that a meaningless exercise.
Evidently, the multi-national drug companies don't have an exclusive hold on doling out cash in great sums to Congressmen in hopes of buying influence. I suspect a good deal of behind-the-scenes hijinks by lobbyists tied to legislators and the White House were responsible for the passage of this bill.
Some interesting facts about the lobbyists who worked behind closed doors to get this House bill passed:
One lobbyist raised more than $300,000 in political action committee donations for Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who eventually sponsored the bill.
A lobbyist for the Food Products Association is the brother of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
The wife of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) worked for Kraft Foods' parent company Altria as a lobbyist on the bill.
With luck, a more evenly divided Senate may torpedo the measure altogether. But the fact is, you can't trust governmental entities who regard the interests of big business -- not voters like you and me -- as their clients.
No matter what happens, the key is to stay away from processed foods as often as you can; 75 percent of them contain genetically modified ingredients. Stick to fresh, organic food that you prepare yourself as much as possible. You can do it for less money than you might think.

Related Articles:
Are Food Labels Accurate? Important Tips to Find Out What You?re Really Eating
13 Million in US at Increased Cancer Risk Due to Arsenic in Water
Cigarette-Style Warning Labels Proposed for Soft Drinks
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