GMO
GMO wheat disruption may be short-lived; origin may stay a mystery
The discovery of 22 stalks of GMO wheat in a fallow field in Washington state “is an isolated incident,” said Monsanto, which developed the experimental strain as part of a project that was shuttered a decade ago.
Obama signs GMOs-in-food disclosure law; rules in two years
Reversing a two-decade federal policy on labeling, President Obama has signed a law that mandates disclosure of GMO ingredients in food via a symbol, a digital code or wording on food packages.
White House plans no hoopla for GMO bill signing
When Congress passed the GMOs-in-food disclosure bill a week ago, the White House said President Obama would sign it. The bill, which reverses a longstanding federal policy that labels are not needed, is likely to be treated matter of factly, to be marked by a written notice rather than the pubic signing ceremony given to major legislation.
U.S. cyclist is first GMO-sponsored competitor at Olympics
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong, a cyclist specializing in the individual women's time trial, "will head to the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro with the apparent distinction of being the first athlete ever sponsored by a crop bred using biotechnology," says Capital Press.
Obama will sign GMO disclosure bill despite pleas for a veto
Two decades after U.S. farmers began cultivating genetically engineered crops, the United States is headed for mandatory nationwide disclosure of GMO ingredients in food, reversing the long-standing federal policy that labels are not needed because the foods are safe to eat.
Obama poised to sign GMO disclosure bill
President Obama is ready to sign the GMOs-in-food disclosure bill that is speeding through Congress and would punctuate more than two decades of controversy over agricultural biotechnology. The House was expected to give final congressional approval to the bill today, sending it to the White House one week after Senate passage.
With solid backing, Senate may vote on GMO disclosure bill today
In a 2-to-1 vote, senators cleared the way for passage as early as today of the GMO-disclosure bill that pre-empts state labeling laws and allows foodmakers to use a digital code, a symbol or wording on food packages to alert consumers to genetically engineered ingredients. That would leave one week for the House to act before Congress adjourns for the summer.
House to vote as early as Wednesday on GMO-disclosure bill
The Republican leaders of the House may call the GMO-in-food disclosure bill for a vote as early as Wednesday, the last hurdle before sending the bill to the White House to be signed into law. The advocacy group Just Label It, which opposes the bill but considers passage certain, said "the fight for national mandatory GMO transparency now shifts to USDA and the marketplace."
Make-or-break vote on a ‘take it or leave it’ GMO-disclosure bill
Senate backers of the GMO-disclosure bill are optimistic of winning a showdown vote today that would allow passage of the bill this week. With little time for Congress to act before its summer recess, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley said the Senate bill would arrive as a "take it or leave it proposition" for the House — and Rep. Mike Pompeo, sponsor of a successful GMO bill, said the House probably would accept the Senate version.
Senate passes GMO-disclosure bill that also pre-empts state law
Two decades into the era of agricultural biotechnology, the Senate passed, 63-30, a bill that requires foodmakers nationwide to say if their products contain GMO ingredients. The bill, which also pre-empts state GMO food-labeling laws, now goes to the House for action one week before Congress adjourns for the summer.
Grocers fret about impact of GMO label in Vermont
Vermont's first-in-the-nation GMO food-labeling law takes effect today and some grocers worry that some products will suddenly be unavailable. Store owner Ray Bouffard told the Burlington Free Press that a soda vendor plans to stop shipments today and, with Fourth of July cookouts approaching, a supplier says it won't provide marshmallows, a staple for campfire snacks.
Senate sets test vote on GMO disclosure bill for Wednesday
The Senate will vote on Wednesday on whether to limit debate on the Roberts-Stabenow GMO disclosure bill, a key test of support for pre-empting state GMO food-labeling laws and mandating nationwide disclosure of GMO ingredients in food. If the vote is successful, the Senate could move quickly to pass the bill.
GMO disclosure bill divides organic food community
The fractious organic food industry is deeply divided over the GMO disclosure bill nearing a vote in the Senate, says a blog post by Carey Gillam in Huffington Post, with the influential Organic Trade Association supporting it while opponents include the Rodale and Cornucopia institutes. "The bitterness runs so deep that some players are now pulling out of a two-day summit scheduled for July that is supposed to build consensus around GMO issues, sources said."
Time is short for congressional passage for GMO food-labeling bill
Lawmakers have a relatively short timetable, expiring in mid-July, if they want to override quickly Vermont's first-in-the-nation GMO food-labeling law, which goes into effect on Friday. While Senate Agriculture Committee leaders need to line up 60 votes to pass their compromise bill, possibly this week, the initial response in the House was cool.
Senate Ag leaders agree on GMO food-labeling bill … but too late
Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee agreed on mandatory nationwide labeling of GMO foods, allowing use of QR codes and symbols as well as wording on packages, under a system that would take effect in two years or so. The legislation would pre-empt state labeling laws but Congress cannot act quickly enough to prevent Vermont's first-in-the-nation law from taking effect on July 1.
Mandatory GMO food labeling proposed in Canada
Two weeks before Vermont's first-in-the-nation GMO food-labeling law takes effect, a member of Canada's Parliament proposed mandatory labeling of GMO foods, a step that was proposed fruitlessly in the past. Meanwhile, in Washington, leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee said they were making progress on U.S. labeling legislation.
Activists push for local GMO regulation in Hawaiian court
Anti-GMO activists addressed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Honolulu this week, in an effort to regulate GMO crops in three counties, reports The Seattle Times. The activists from Maui, Hawaii and Kauai, say they fear the pesticide use that comes with GMO production. All three counties have passed legislation limiting or outright banning GMOs. But after Monsanto and Dow Chemical sued in response, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren ruled in 2014 that state and federal laws supersede county legislation, making the anti-GMO laws null and void.
GMO-food-label negotiations ‘moving in the right direction’
Vermont's first-in-the-nation GMO food-label law takes effect in 18 days, a deadline that is a central factor in closed-door discussions on federal legislation to supersede it. "Negotiations are ongoing and we're moving in the right direction," said an aide to Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts.
GM crops grown on 55 percent of U.S. cropland, says USDA
Farmer adoption of genetically modified crop varieties is spreading beyond the well-known dominance of the major field crops of corn, soybeans, and cotton, said a USDA report. When lesser-known GM crops such as canola, potatoes, and apples are counted, about 55 percent of U.S. cropland is planted to GM varieties, said the Economic Research Service report.