While most discussions about Tuesday’s midterm elections focused on the fate of the U.S. Senate, voters in two states also considered whether to require the labeling of genetically modified foods or foods containing ingredients made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
In Colorado, voters soundly rejected Proposition 105, by a 2-1 margin. A similar measure in Oregon, Initiative 92, is still too close to call but it appears headed for defeat as well. Similar efforts in Washington and California were voted down in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Connecticut and Maine have passed GMO labeling laws, but both states require neighboring states to pass their own labeling bills before the laws can take effect.
Currently, Vermont is the only state with a law requiring the mandatory labeling of GMOs, which is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2016. Earlier this year, IDFA joined the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Snack Food Association and the National Association of Manufacturers in filing a complaint in federal district court in Vermont that challenges the law.
IDFA Supports Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act
IDFA supports the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014 introduced this summer by Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS), who yesterday won a third term representing Kansas’s 4th district in the House. The bill would establish a federal standard for voluntary labeling food and beverage products made with genetically modified ingredients.
IDFA believes that a federal solution on GMO labeling would bolster consumer confidence in American food by affirming FDA’s overall authority for setting the nation’s food safety and labeling regulations.
“A 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling laws would confuse consumers, raise the price of groceries for American families and do nothing to advance food safety,” said Dave Carlin, senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy for IDFA. “We look forward to continuing our support of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act in the 114th Congress.”
The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act is expected to have a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee in December.
For more information, contact Ruth Saunders, IDFA vice president of policy and legislative affairs, at rsaunders@idfa.org.