Legislation Will Establish Labeling Guidelines to Help Farmers and Consumers
The National Milk Producers Federation today praised the introduction of legislation in the House of Representatives that would establish federal standards for the safety and labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms.Under the bill, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, the Food and Drug Administration will set standards for companies that wish to label their products as containing or not containing GMOs. The legislation was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC). Rep. Pompeo introduced similar legislation in the House last year.
"Rather than create a confusing patchwork of state policies, the legislation would deal with this issue at the national level," said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF. "It would improve clarity in foods carrying a GMO-free label by establishing uniform rules and a national certification program for foods that have been produced without bioengineering."
GMOs have been proven safe by nearly 2,000 studies from the leading scientific bodies in the world, including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association. Agencies including the FDA, the U.S. Agriculture Department, the National Academy of Sciences, and the World Health Organization have found no negative health effects from consuming GMOs.
"Due to the complexity of the American food chain, state-by-state labeling is not an option," Mulhern said. "The additional costs would be passed on to consumers, and many family-run businesses, including dairy farms, would be unable to navigate these new hurdles."
There is no need for mandatory labeling of foods made with GMO process or ingredients, "but if food marketing companies wish to voluntarily label their products as being free of GMOs, this legislation establishes a national protocol for doing so," Mulhern said.
Currently, up to 80 percent of the food available in the United States contains genetically modified ingredients.
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF's cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of more than 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. Visit www.nmpf.orgfor more information.
3.25.2015