Legislation to pre-empt state laws that require special labels on food made with genetically modified organisms amount to “protecting corporate interests,” says Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where a pre-emption bill is on the agenda. Chairman Pat Roberts re-scheduled for Tuesday a session to vote on pre-empting state laws. The draft offered by Roberts also would 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.
Pre-emption “is a bad idea that lawmakers and the Obama administration should oppose,” said Leahy in an essay in the New York Times. Vermont’s first-in-the-nation law for mandatory GMO food labels takes effect on July 1. Some farm-state lawmakers say labeling laws are intended to disparage GMO foods. Foodmakers say they face millions of dollars in costs to change labels, distribution routes and processing lines to comply.
“Congress needs to act and to act quickly,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who says electronic disclosure could resolve the disagreement. Label advocates say consumers have a right to know what is in their food. Purdue University president Mitch Daniels, speaking at a USDA conference, said “the attack on GMO technology is the most blantant anti-science of the age.”