A bill to keep states from issuing mandatory labeling laws for foods made with genetically modified ingredients “sailed through the Senate on Thursday despite pushback from Democrats”, The Hill reports.
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Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Just Label It and Stonyfield Farm, said the bill “contains ambiguities that could needlessly narrow the scope of biotechnologies covered and is vague on what GMO content levels require labeling and enforcement penalties for non-compliance”.
The legislation encompasses some foods that were exempted from the Vermont law, but it also allows the Agriculture Department to determine how much of a “bioengineered substance” must be present to require a GMO label.
The bill that passed the Senate isn’t as stringent as Vermont’s.
But the mandatory aspect was a big concession of many Republicans, who wanted a voluntary label.
The House version of the bill would make it optional for companies to label products with GMO ingredients and would ban states from putting in place their own labeling laws. Deb Fischer voted for the legislation, saying it’s a compromise that will reduce costs and provide certainty for farmers, food companies and consumers in that it offers a solution to avoid a patchwork of state laws.
Soon you might know if your food has genetically modified organisms – but you’ll have to do a little digging. As a result of Vermonts law, many major companies are already labeling their products all over the country.
Meanwhile, Mother Jones is reporting that former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says he will do what he can to stop the measure.
“Pro-GMO labeling efforts now need to focus on effective implementation that delivers what all consumers want and deserve”, Hirshberg continued.
The U.S. Agriculture Department would decide which ingredients would be considered genetically modified. In a tweet, he compared the GMO label on a package of peanut M&Ms that says “partially produced with genetic engineering” with a QR code on a Coca-Cola can.
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“The Senate has provided all Americans a transparent and consistent system of disclosure that will give consumers access to more product information than ever before, and we urge the House to consider this legislation next week” said CFSAF co-chair Pamela Bailey of the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
