The bill would nullify Vermont’s GMO labeling law, which went into effect July 1, and prevent any other state from enacting a labeling law. Joining over 60 countries around the world that have passed GMO labeling laws were Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and Alaska.
Advertisement
Maine’s USA senators, independent Angus King and Republican Susan Collins, voted against the Senate bill, as did Vermont’s senators, independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Patrick Leahy.
Supporters of the bill said the scan code’s presence on food packages would signal the presence of GMOs just as words or a symbol would and allow buyers who do not want to eat genetically engineered products a choice.
The bill passed on a 306-117 vote in the House on Thursday, and received Senate approval last week.
Consumers wanting to know if their foods contain genetically modified ingredients will be able to find out for the first time.
The legislation imposes a national standard for labeling food products made with genetically modified ingredients.
While the bill gives companies the three options for labeling, the Vermont law would require items be labeled produced with genetic engineering..
A major national coalition of right-to-know activists representing more than 100 organizations delivered petitions Friday, signed by 250,000 people to President Barack Obama at the White House.
Retailers said the new bill would eliminate the need for warehouses to segregate food products based on varying state laws. The bill also would exempt the majority of GMO foods, it contains no penalties for non-compliance and it delays action for at least another two years.
Food companies and farm groups, meanwhile, are convinced that pro-labeling groups are simply trying to use labels to drive consumers away from GMOs – a tactic that worked in Europe. Particularly, the association praised Chairmen Conaway and Roberts, Ranking Members Peterson and Stabenow, Congressmen Pompeo and Butterfield, and all of the members of Congress, from both sides of the aisle, who worked together to pass this bill.
Democrats slammed the measure, calling it anti-consumer.
The bill leaves many labeling details to be determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including what percentage of genetically engineered ingredients a food needs to have to require a label.
Advertisement
“S. 764 ensures consumers have the access to product information without stigmatizing this safe, proven technology that America’s farmers value”.
