Gwyneth Paltrow & Mom Blythe Danner Head to Washington, Call for GMO Labeling—See Photos and Video!

The actress and her mother oppose bill that would prohibit mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically engineered organisms

Gwyneth Paltrow and mom and fellow actress Blyth Danner had a mother-daughter day in Washington D.C. on Wednesday to promote a cause close to their hearts.

The 42-year-old head of the health and lifestyle website Goop and the 72-year-old headed there to speak about their support for mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically engineered organisms, or GMOs, which are common.

The House of Representatives had last month approved H.R.1599, a bill titled the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. It states that Food and Drug Administration "must allow, but not require" food containing "genetically modified organisms" to be "labeled as GMO" and also "regulate the use of the word 'natural' on food labels," according to Congress.

"The science is still inconclusive about GMOs and there are arguments that they could possibly be harmful and there are arguments that they could possibly be incredibly beneficial and drought resistant and have extra nutrition, but at this point, we just don't know," Paltrow told reporters, as seen in a video posted by NBC News. "And much the way I want to know if my food is farm-raised or wild or if my orange juice is fresh or from concentrate, I believe that I also have the right, and we all have the right as Americans to know what's in our food."

"This is so important for us," Danner said. "The reason I got into environmental things in the first place was to leave the world a better place for my children and grandchildren."

At the press conference, the two were joined by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont).

 

There is no evidence genetically modified crops are harmful. Many supporters of the legislation are concerned that mandatory GMO labeling on food would be costly.

Many opponents of the bill dub it the "Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act." They say that if it is passed, it would "virtually eliminate FDA's ability to craft a national GMO labeling system" and cause confusion among consumers.

The bill now rests in the hands of the Senate's Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

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