A congressman from Kansas is proposing a bill that would prevent states from passing their own laws to require that genetically modified foods be labeled. Republican Mike Pompeo's bill, which he had the gall name the "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act", would override any state law requiring GMO labeling.
Why on earth would he want to prevent consumers from knowing whether their food is genetically modified? Here's what he had to say:
"We've got a number of states that are attempting to put together a patchwork quilt of food labeling requirements with respect to genetic modification of foods. That makes it enormously difficult to operate a food system. Some of the campaigns in some of these states aren't really to inform consumers but rather aimed at scaring them. What this bill attempts to do is set a standard."
Sorry Pompeo, but we're not buying it.
From Reuters:
A Republican congressman from Kansas introduced legislation on Wednesday that would nullify efforts in multiple states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.
The bill, dubbed the "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act," was drafted by U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo and is aimed at overriding bills in about two dozen states that would require foods made with genetically engineered crops to be labeled as such.
The bill specifically prohibits any mandatory labeling of foods developed using bioengineering.
"We've got a number of states that are attempting to put together a patchwork quilt of food labeling requirements with respect to genetic modification of foods," said Pompeo. "That makes it enormously difficult to operate a food system. Some of the campaigns in some of these states aren't really to inform consumers but rather aimed at scaring them. What this bill attempts to do is set a standard."
Advocates of labeling say consumers deserve to know if the food they eat contains GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. Many consumer groups question both about the safety and the environmental impacts of genetically modified foods, also referred to as GMOs.
Makers of biotech crops and many large food manufacturers have fought mandatory labeling, arguing that genetically modified crops are not materially different and pose no safety risk. They say labeling would mislead consumers.
Pompeo reiterated those claims, stating that GMOs are safe and "equally healthy" and no labeling is needed.
Continue reading at Reuters