Paltrow takes GMO labeling crusade to Washington

WASHINGTON: Gwyneth Paltrow lent a touch of Hollywood glamor Wednesday to a campaign against legislation that would prevent the labeling 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 called Goop when not starring in films such as “Shakespeare in Love” and “Iron Man.”
“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.
“There is so much that has not yet been proven” about the safety of genetically modified (GMO) food, added Paltrow’s mother, actress Blythe Danner, who also participated in Wednesday’s media event.
Paltrow is among a number of celebrities who have endorsed the Just Label It campaign that is aiming to derail the legislation.
The campaign says that 90 percent of Americans surveyed in opinion polls favor labeling GMO foods and that more than 200,000 people have signed its online petition against the DARK Act so far.