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House bill seeks to halt states' GM food labeling efforts
Re. Pompeo reintroduces bill seeking to end GM labeling debate
by Sustainable Food News
March 25, 2015
Federal legislation was reintroduced Wednesday that would prohibit, at both the state and
federal levels, mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically modified (GM)
ingredients, essentially denying consumers the right to know what's in their food.
The bill, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) and G.K. Butterfield of (D-N.C.),
would also direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continue its current policy, in
which any labeling of genetically engineered food must be the voluntary choice of the food
producer.
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Due to cross-contamination and pollen drift, very few products in the United States are
completely free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). More than 90 percent of all soy,
corn, sugar beet and canola is now grown using GM seeds. Estimates put the amount of
processed foods containing GM ingredients - including cornmeal, oils and sugars - on
grocery store shelves to be over 75 percent with consumers largely unaware of what they
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Pompeo's legislation, "The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015," if passed, would
nullify GMO labeling laws already passed by Maine, Vermont and Connecticut, and codify
the FDA's current voluntary labeling system.
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The bill was dubbed by GM-labeling proponents the “Deny Americans the Right-To-Know
Act" (DARK Act), since it would preempt states' rights to legally mandate the labeling of
foods nullifying efforts in over two dozen states to require labeling of GM foods.
“In the absence of federal action, many states are listening to their citizens and pushing
forward with laws to require clear, transparent labeling of GMO foods,” said Katrina Staves,
campaign manager for Just Label It, the national coalition spearheading federal labeling of
genetically engineered (GE) food. “By reintroducing the DARK Act, Rep. Pompeo is
undercutting the rights of states to give their citizens more information about the food they
buy and effectively freezing the conversation at the federal level.”
Voluntary labeling system a failure
Pompeo's legislation would prevent the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from
enacting any federal GM labeling actions by codifying a 14-year-old voluntary labeling
program for GE ingredients in foods. The bill would prevent the agency from requiring firms
to disclose the presence of GE ingredients if they attest to them being separated from GM
crops, and if the company does not imply that its product is safer than foods containing
GMOs, according to the legislation.
If passed, the legislation would require the FDA to develop a maximum threshold for GMO
presence in foods bearing a voluntary non-GMO label.
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