After weeks of fruitless talks with Democrats, Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts said the committee will vote on Thursday on his proposal to prevent states and local governments from requiring special labels on food made with genetically modified organisms. The so-called chairman’s mark also would put USDA in charge of voluntary labeling of food as GMO or non-GMO. The FDA, which oversees most of the food supply, has a policy of voluntary labeling at the national level.
Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO food-labeling law takes effect July 1, a little more than four months from now. The food industry, thwarted to date in attempts to overturn the Vermont law in court, said “time is running out” and urged Congress to pass the Roberts bill quickly.
No Senate Democrats have announced support for the Roberts legislation, which is similar to a bill, HR 1599, that passed the Republican-controlled House by a 2-to-1 margin last summer. So its future is hazy in the chamber, where 60 votes often are needed to move legislation.
Congress has a relatively short legislative calendar this year because of the November general election, and partisan rancor usually deadlocks controversial bills weeks or months beforehand. GMO food labeling is a comparatively minor congressional issue despite the passion it fosters in the food movement and agribusiness community. For that reason, it could become a rider on a must-pass bill, analysts have said.
“There is still a lot of work to do to get to a bill that can get the broad bipartisan support needed to pass the U.S. Senate,” said Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the lead Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. “I support Chairman Roberts’ urgency to address this critical issue and remain committed to working with him to find a solution that provides consumers with access to information they desire and certainty for our food industry.”
Committee chairmen typically call a mark-up only when they are sure they have the votes to pass a bill. Republicans have an 11-9 majority on the Agriculture Committee and control the Senate 54-46.
Foodmakers say they face millions of dollars in costs to change labels and distribution routes to comply with the Vermont law, and, potentially, laws in other states. Connecticut and Maine enacted labeling laws in 2014, but they would not take effect unless four neighboring states adopt similar legislation. The Grocery Manufacturers Association says state laws that mandate labeling of GMO foods will increase a family’s grocery bills by hundreds of dollars a year.
“Nine out of 10 consumers — regardless of age, income or even party affiliation — want the right to know whether their food contains GMOs,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of the Just Label It campaign. “And food leaders like Campbell’s have shown that mandatory GMO labeling will not increase food prices.”
Labeling advocates and the food industry turned to Congress in 2015 as the forum to settle their issue after a series of expensive and ever-closer state referendums on labeling. Oregon voters defeated a GMO food-labeling initiative by 837 votes, out of 1.5 million cast, on Nov. 4, 2014.