Kansas Rep Mike Pompeo will sponsor a bill backed by foodmakers to pre-empt state labeling law on genetically modified food, Politico says. “The legislation would create a federal voluntary labeling system for foods that are not genetically modified — which the bill refers to as “bioengineered” — and increase FDA’s regulatory oversight of GMOs, according to a draft version of the measure obtained by Politico.” The bill would be filed in the next two weeks.
It would require labeling if the Food and Drug Administration says a genetically modified product is a risk to health or safety, said The Hill, adding there are none. Voters in Washington state narrowly defeated a GMO labeling referendum last fall. At least two farm groups launched a Twitter campaign that asks people to #StandWithPompeo and “a fix for state by state GMO labeling.” Foodmakers and farm groups have a Coalition for Safe Affordable Food to promote the bill. An array of groups such as Just Label It say consumers have a right to know details about the food they eat.