Small businesses also have the option to place a telephone number or internet website on packages that would direct customers to additional information.
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Food companies favor a federal standard and have complained that different labeling laws by state would confuse people and be expensive.. Several Agricultural Associations have spoken up in support for the Roberts-Stabenow bill’s more straightforward and less disruptive labeling system.
“From my perspective, it’s not the best possible bill, but it’s the best bill possible under the hard circumstances we find ourselves in today”, Roberts said.
Proponents of labeling, and of Vermont’s law, were quick to express their disappointment.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Food packages nationwide would for the first time be required to carry labels listing genetically modified ingredients under legislation the Senate backed Thursday.
The bill is a compromise for Senate Democrats and Republicans.
The Senate this week voted to approve a bill that would require foods with genetically modified ingredients to have those ingredients labeled, Reuters reports. It went into effect last week. Campbells, meanwhile, says it remains committed to printing clear and simple language on the labels of all of its U.S. products.
Finally, this bill would provide for a coherent national labeling program, preventing the 50-state nightmare that might otherwise arise. The company is in discussions with the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration about its plans to develop on-pack language that is simple to understand and clearly identifies the presence of ingredients derived from GMO crops.
But the other reason is particular to the bill just passed. “While I will never fully support federally mandating the disclosure of information that has absolutely nothing to do with nutrition, health, or safety, it is my expectation that this legislation will be considered on the House floor next week, and it is my intention to support this bill”.
If the bill doesn’t pass, Roberts warned, a patchwork of state labeling laws will soon wreak havoc on the flow of interstate commerce. “We now ask the U.S. House to take up the bill next week and send it to President Obama for his signature”.
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The government’s first GMO-labeling bill achieved a broad bipartisan victory yesterday in the Senate. It is crucial that technology which has been proven to be safe for human consumption is utilized to assure food security and access to sustainably-produced food. Questions surrounding the bill include its definitions of genetically engineered contents and its two-year phase-in.
