The Democratic leader on the Senate Agriculture Committee said she is committed to passing a bill that pre-empts state GMO food-labeling laws. “This needs to needs to move quickly,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Vermont’s first-in-the-nation labeling law will take effect on July 1. The food industry says Congress needs to override the Vermont law before the end of this year to prevent a costly hodgepodge of labeling rules.
Stabenow’s comments were the first sign in weeks of growth in support for a pre-emption bill. To date, no Democratic senator has agreed to co-sponsor a GMO bill, effectively sidelining the issue. On July 23, the House passed by a landslide margin a bill, HR 1599, that would ban states from requiring labels on GMO foods, keep labeling voluntary on the federal level and put the USDA in charge of certifying non-GMO foods.
During an Agriculture Committee hearing, Stabenow said she supports agricultural biotechnology and recognizes consumer desire “to know more about the food they eat.” She also said she understands the difficulties that businesses would have “if 50 different states have 50 different standards.” Advocates of GMO labels say shoppers have a right to know what’s in their food.
“In order to address legitimate concerns from our farmers, our food companies and consumers, I believe we need to work together and I’m committing myself, Mr. Chairman, to do that in a bipartisan way to develop and pass a bill that can pass the Senate before the end of the year,” said Stabenow. A successful bill would create a national system of disclosure “for consumers who wish to know more about their food” and not stigmatize biotechnology, she said.
A Stabenow spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
“We will be moving with legislation as quickly as possible,” responded Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts. A spokeswoman said HR 1599 “has been referred to the Senate Ag Committee, but a markup has not been scheduled.”
Republican Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota is expected to spearhead GMO pre-emption but has said he will not file a bill without a Democratic co-sponsor and assurance of enough support – potentially 60 votes – for passage.
The Hagstrom Report called Stabenow’s decision to work with Roberts and Hoeven a victory for the biotech industry. Stabenow said the House bill would not win a majority in the Senate.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association said, “It is critically important that Congress act this year” against state labeling laws. “While we continue our efforts in federal court to challenge Vermont’s state labeling law, the court process could take years until full resolution and will certainly not be concluded prior to the implementation of the Vermont law in just over eight months.”
Gary Hirshberg, head of the Just Label It campaign, said the group would support “a disclosure that is national, that is mandatory, that works for consumers, and that works for the food industry. You should not have to live in Vermont to know what’s in your food and how it’s grown.”
The bulk of the corn, soybeans and sugar beets grown in the United States are GMO varieties. The grocery associations says “70-80 percent of the foods people eat in the United States contain ingredients that have been genetically engineered,” and there is no question of safety.
Connecticut and Maine have passed labeling laws that will take effect whenever neighboring states take the same step.