Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced a new GMO labeling bill to the Senate last week that’s basically the Senate’s version of HR 1599, the bill passed in the US House of Representatives last year (and introduced by Kansas Representative Mike Pompeo — those Kansas politicians sure do hate GMO Labeling). The clock is ticking on the enactment of Vermont’s labeling law on July 1st, and the Senate is under pressure to get a federal standard in place that can then trump any state standards, essentially outlawing any state level legislation.
The new GMO labeling bill is moving through the Senate. Click the pic to view original.
Both pieces of federal legislation, however, neglect to require GMO labeling, so they completely undermine the law passed in Vermont. The big argument that keeps coming out of Washington is that the cost to do this labeling will be astronomical, and that the cost will be absorbed by American families. Very interesting timing here —
According to an industry-funded study released this week by the Corn Refiners Association, Vermont’s law could increase the price of groceries by nearly $1,050 per year.
Campbell’s Soup, who recently announced it would label its products at no cost to the consumer, would likely disagree.
For more on the bill, visit:
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/news/new-gmo-labeling-bill-introduced-to-senate-consumer-groups-object/
