But as Harvest Public Media’s Peggy Lowe reports, it’s still a food fight. “Many food consumers will simply not take the time needed to inform themselves about the ingredients of the many food items they purchase”, said William Lesser, professor in science and business at Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, in a statement.
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The debate over whether food companies should be required to label products containing genetically modified ingredients took an important turn this month when the nation’s first labeling law took effect in Vermont.
However, the new legislation is being opposed by Vermont Senate Bernie Sanders who claim that it the usage of electronic labels for scanning allowed under the bill could curtail its scope and lead to confusion.
If this bill becomes law, the industry wins what are essentially voluntary requirements under this GMO labeling “compromise”, which does not mandate recalls, penalties or fines for noncompliance with the incredibly weak requirements of the bill that will likely leave many GMO ingredients exempt from any labeling requirements. This “compromise” bill allows producers to use QR codes and “smart labels” instead of clear, on-package labeling of food products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It faces long odds, however, after the Senate voted Wednesday to advance the Roberts-Stabenow bill on a procedural vote with a tally of 65 to 32. Critics also decry the ability of companies to use a smartphone scan code to signal the presence of GMOs, saying words or symbols on food packages are less confusing.
A nationwide standard is favored by the food industry, which says state-by-state differences could inflate costs for labeling and distribution. “United Fresh urges the House of Representatives to pass this measure as soon as possible and send it to the President for his signature”.
“Unfortunately the impact of those decisions will be felt across the country and around the globe”, he said. The federal bill has drawn criticism far and wide, after food industry giants like Monsanto and Whole Foods made hefty financial contributions to senators backing the bill. Senators have a bipartisan deal to require labeling of genetically modified ingredients nationally, a week before a labeling law in Vermont goes into effect.
Law Would Deny More than 100 Million Americans their Right to Know. CT has a similar law on the books, but it requires neighboring states to also enact GMO labeling requirements.
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