If the legislation becomes law, food manufacturers would have three options for the mandatory disclosure of genetically modified ingredients: on-package text, an on-package symbol, or an on-package digital code that directs users online for more information. The bill passed the Senate last week, and will be signed into law, according to a White House spokeswoman.
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The bill is heavily criticized for its stipulation that information regarding GMO ingredients can be hidden behind a QR code, as well as for the exemption of animal products including meat and eggs from labeling.
If the bill is signed into law by President Obama, Vermont’s GMO labeling bill, which took effect on July 1, would be voided.
Supporters urged President Obama to sign the law and pledged to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in writing the regulations implementing the measure.
Although it was initially shot down by the House, Congress has finally, after months of debate, passed a bill that requires packaged food companies to label GMO ingredients.
The bill allows for the USDA Secretary of Agriculture to: “establish a national mandatory bioengineered food disclosure standard with respect to any bioengineered food and any food that may be bioengineered”.
“This definitely does not line up with what we planned for the state”, said Heather Spalding, deputy director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which has pushed for GMO labeling for years.
President & CEO Andrew LaVigne praised “all the Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate who put politics aside and came together to do what’s right for American families and farmers…”
“The clock has run out, my producers need certainty and an interstate commerce nightmare will shortly ensure if we don’t pass this bill”, said Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill.
“People shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to know what’s in their food If S.764 was truly meant to expand consumers’ right to know, it would require a clear, straightforward, and easy-to-read food labeling standard”. “Once law, the food industry will have a clear and straightforward standard that in turn will provide Americans with relevant information for when they make their food choices”.
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Many food industry groups, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), have celebrated the legislation as a flexible and non-invasive solution to GMO labeling.
