Vermont’s first-in-the-nation law to require special labels on food made with genetically modified organisms “is going to create a chaotic situation,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers in backing a nationwide solution. “We want some standardization … We need to get this fixed.” The Vermont law takes effect on July 1. Foodmakers say they will face millions of dollars in costs to modify labels and distribution routes to ensure compliance.
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts postponed to next week a vote on his bill to pre-empt state labeling laws and to put USDA in charge of certifying foods as GMO or non-GMO. The FDA, which oversees most of the food supply, has a policy of voluntary labeling at the national level. The food industry has spent tens of millions of dollars in defeating state referendums on mandatory labeling. Both sides turned to Congress in 2015 to settle the issue.
Roberts delayed the Agriculture Committee vote, originally set for today, because the Senate was expected to vote on energy legislation and potential aid to the water crisis in Flint, Mich. A new date for the committee session was not immediately set.
Vilsack, who tried to broker a compromise between the food industry and labeling advocates, said during a House Agriculture Committee hearing that the SmartLabel initiative of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, could be “the answer to this.” Consumers could use smartphones to scan QR codes on packages to learn about ingredients, including GMOs. The industry says the information also will be available on the Internet, by a toll-free call, and at the store.
No Democratic senators have spoken in public in favor of the Roberts bill, nor have Republicans openly opposed it. Republicans control the Senate, 54-46, but 60 votes often are required for legislation to succeed. Roberts says his plan is supported by hundreds of farmers, processors, seed companies, food and feed manufacturers and retailers.
Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders, seeking the Democratic nomination for president, told public broadcaster KCUR-FM that states should be allowed to decide GMO labeling on their own: “I find it somewhat interesting that my conservative Republican friends who every other day tell us how much they hate the federal government – how they want to get government out of our lives – are now telling 50 states in this country what they can or cannot do.”