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.
