In the United States, outrage is spreading over a rider dubbed the “Monsanto Protection Act” that was attached to a spending bill signed by President Obama last week. Critics say the quietly passed provision weakens regulation of genetically modified foods and undermines the ability of federal courts to block potentially dangerous crops from reaching consumers. Because it was attached to the bill averting a government shutdown, members of Congress may not have realized they were voting for it. On Wednesday, food activists protested the rider in front of the White House. More than a quarter of a million people have signed a petition against it.