The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce gave his support to legislation that would bar states from requiring labels on food made with genetically modified organisms and keep labeling voluntary on the federal level. In a statement, chairman Fred Uptonthanked the Agriculture Committee “for working with us to get this bill through the House.” The preemption bill is being handled by Upton’s committee. Support by a chairman smooths the way for legislation.
During a hearing by the health subcommittee, proponents repeatedly said GMO foods are safe so there is no reason for mandatory labeling of them. “Our policy should reflect this,” said Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo, the sponsor of the preemption bill, HR 1599. The lead Democrat on the bill, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, said the alternative to a federal standard was “a complex and unworkable patchwork of state laws.”
“There is no national standard in the bill,” said Vermont Rep. Peter Welch, since labeling would be voluntary. “If GMOs are so safe, why not label?” Vermont is the only state with a labeling law, set to take effect on July 1, 2016. “Trust the consumer to make intelligent decisions,” said Assistant Vermont Attorney General Todd Daloz. “This is another piece of information that consumers want.”
There were five-dozen sponsors of the Pompeo-Butterfield bill at latest count but no companion bill in the Senate. During the hearing, Pompeo distributed a letter of support signed by two-dozen members of the House Agriculture Committee, including former chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma.
An updated version of the Pompeo-Butterfield bill would put the USDA in charge of certifiying foods as non-GMO or made with GMOs. The voluntary system would be similar to the organic food labeling system at the USDA. A web of state laws “would dramatically increase costs for both producers and consumers,” said the National Association of Manufacturers in a letter of support for HR 1599.
The Just Label It campaign for GMO labeling said the new version of the Pompeo-Butterfield bill “adds a provision that would stop states from regulating GMO crops, in addition to … preemption of state GMO labeling laws.” Voters in Jackson County in southwestern Oregon approved a ban on GMO crops in the county in May 2014. The ordinance is being challenged in federal court.
After three years in a row of expensive and ever-closer margins on state referendums on labeling, opponents and supporters of GMO labeling laws have made Congress the arena for the debate this year.
To read prepared testimony from the GMO labeling hearing and text of HR 1599, or to watch a video of the hearing, click here.