In light of the U.S. House of Representatives’ consideration of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599), National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson again highlighted NFU policy on Genetically Modified Organism labeling.
The policy supports conspicuous, mandatory, uniform and federal labeling for food products throughout the processing chain to include all ingredients, additives and processes, including genetically altered or engineered food products.
“NFU appreciates efforts by Representatives Pompeo, R-Kansas, and Davis, R-Illinois, to reduce consumer confusion and standardize a GMO label,” said Johnson. “The bill passed out of committee makes significant improvements over previous versions of this bill. Absent a mandatory labeling framework, however, NFU cannot support this bill.”
Johnson noted that the bill has changed several times from the one introduced during the last Congress. Improvements include additional authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a labeling framework that if utilized could reduce consumer confusion, greater emphasis on the Food and Drug Administration’s role in safety reviews, and a GMO label that works in conjunction with USDA’s organic seal instead of counter to it.
“Consumers increasingly want to know more information about their food, and producers want to share that information with them,” said Johnson. “It is time to find common ground that includes some form of mandatory disclosure for the benefit of all aspects of the value chain, but this bill is not that common ground.”
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