Posted April 11, 2014
Federal legislation requiring food with genetically modified ingredients to be labeled according to a national standard was recently introduced. The bill is supported by some major farm groups, according to an article by the Southeastern Farm Press available here.
The “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling” bill, H.R. 4432, was sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and introduced in the House on April 9.
The bill would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority, as opposed to individual states, to mandate the labeling of any GMO food ingredients it determines would create a health, safety or nutrition issue.
“The GMO labeling ballot initiatives and legislative efforts that many state lawmakers and voters are facing are geared toward making people wrongly fear what they’re eating and feeding their children…With the introduction of this legislation…, Farm Bureau looks forward to a national-level discussion that will affirm FDA’s role in assuring consumers about GMO safety and reduce the confusion that would result from a patchwork of state labeling initiatives,” said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“People like to read food labels in order to make their own personal decisions,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) as reported by Politico here. “It makes sense to have federal legislation that will inform consumers, eliminate any confusion, and advance food safety.” The Hill also reported on the story here.
For more information on food labeling, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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