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Obama signs bill requiring labeling of GMO foods

President Barack Obama signed a bill Friday, which would require labeling genetically modified foods.

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Two weeks ago, Congress passed the legislation which would require food packages to display an electronic code, text label, or some sort of symbol signifying whether or not they contain GMOs, according to The Associated Press.

The Department of Agriculture will have two years to write the new rules on GMO labeling. “While we greatly appreciate the leadership of US Senators Warren and Markey and Congresspersons McGovern, Neal, Capuano and Clark voting the right way, too numerous MA delegation, including Congresspersons Lynch, Keating, Kennedy, Moulton and Tsongas chose to side with the special interests over the public interest”.

Rep. Todd Smola (R-Palmer) said the law “falls very short of a true labeling standard and Sen”. “It reasserts the federal government’s role in regulating food labeling and ends the “death by a thousand cuts’ approach of potentially conflicting state laws in this area”.

GMOs, often called “genetically engineered” crops, have their genetic information modified to give a plant a desirable trait. Most of those ingredients are corn and soy-based that are eaten by livestock or made into common ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and cornstarch.

Three years after anti-GMO marches around Hawaii, major studies have declared genetically modified foods safe for consumption.

Between 75 and 80 percent of foods contain genetically engineered ingredients, The AP reports.

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