Non-GM Label Bill Introduced

Legislation Would Create Non-Biotech Label, Certification Program

Chris Clayton
By  Chris Clayton , DTN Ag Policy Editor
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A House bill would create a non-GMO certification program at USDA similar to what USDA does now with organic products. That would parallel labeling programs in some European countries that certify foods as non-GMO. (DTN file photo by Chris Clayton)

OMAHA (DTN) -- A bill in Congress to block states from adopting their own biotech labeling laws also would create a new USDA program to certify foods without ingredients from genetically engineered crops.

Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, announced Wednesday he was reintroducing legislation that he had championed last year that would restrict labels for foods that included ingredients from genetically engineered crops. Such foods with biotech ingredients would only require labels if the Food and Drug Administration considered a label necessary to protect public health.

Pompeo said on a press call Wednesday that his bill had a successful hearing last year in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and he expects momentum to continue in this Congress. The bill is called the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act.

"We want to build off the success we had, and we wound up talking to lots and lots of different stakeholders from across the country and across the political spectrum too as to how they think about the issue," Pompeo said.

The big difference between the legislation this year is that it would create a non-GMO certification program at USDA similar to what USDA does now with organic products. That would parallel labeling programs in some European countries that certify foods as non-GMO.

"We think that helps producers who want to participate in that and want to have that process to certify their product as being non-GMO to do so in a way that is voluntary but at the same time doesn't put any increased costs on taxpayers as well," Pompeo said.

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Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina, joined Pompeo in introducing the bill, which Pompeo said has 17 other co-sponsors, the majority of whom sit on either the Agriculture or Energy & Commerce Committees. "I think we've got a bill that's going to be broadly bipartisan and reflect science and facts to get good legislation to keep food affordable for decades to come," Pompeo said.

Pompeo's bill was introduced a day after the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to emphasize the costs and regulatory burdens of state-by-state biotech labeling standards.

One missing element of Pompeo's bill is the lack of a companion effort in the Senate. Pompeo said there is no similar Senate bill, but he believes that there will be a Senate sponsor to submit legislation in that chamber. Pompeo acknowledged that without a related bill moving through the Senate, it will be significantly tougher for the legislation to become law. "The idea is to get the Senate to move on roughly the same timeframe that we are proceeding on with the hope that by the end of this year, we can have this on the president's desk," Pompeo said.

Pompeo's bill likely maintains the same supporters who oppose labeling foods derived from biotech crops. Wade Cowan, president of the American Soybean Association and Texas farmer, said Pompeo's bill would end confusion over which food products do not contain biotech ingredients. "That way, all of the products in the grocery store that don't contain GMOs will have one simple, easy-to-understand label on them, and the consumer gets the information he or she is looking for," Cowan said.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization said the bill would ensure labels would avoid unnecessarily scaring consumers, but nonetheless provide transparency for them.

"Food labels that scare -- rather than inform -- will propel the United States backward instead of forward in agricultural innovation," said Cathy Enright, executive vice president for food and agriculture at BIO. "The United States is the world leader in providing the safest, most reliable and most affordable food supply in the world. Our food labeling polices need to reflect this."

The Grocery Manufacturers Association opposes state laws with different labeling requirements that it argues would create confusion for consumers and increase costs for food. GMA cites that as much as 80% of food in the U.S. contains ingredients from genetically modified crops.

Other groups such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Snack Food Association, National Milk Producers Federation and National Council of Farmer Cooperatives all weighed in with their support for the bill.

While supporters declare the bill would create reasonable, national labeling standards, groups that want to see foods with ingredients from genetically engineered foods labeled take an opposing stance. They argue Pompeo's bill actually restricts the ability to determine which foods have ingredients from biotech crops. The Organic Consumers Association and Center for Food Safety argue the bill would deny states the ability to choose how such products should be labeled.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN

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Chris Clayton