The United States House of Representatives Agriculture
Committee has approved a proposal to establish national standards that would
over-rule any state legislation.
The bill, called the Safe
and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, is supported
by large food companies including Cargill, ConAgra Foods and Kraft Foods
and industry groups including the National Turkey Federation and National
Restaurant Association
“The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 would
avoid a costly and confusing patchwork of state-by-state labeling requirements
by reaffirming FDA’s authority to decide when GMO foods should be labeled,” Cargill
said in a statement.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) in a separate
statement urged the full House to pass the bill before the August recess.
Vermont, Connecticut and Maine already have passed mandatory
GMO labeling laws that have not yet taken effect. The grocer association has
filed a lawsuit against Vermont’s legislation.
What I'd like the activists who demand GMO labelling to tell me is the difference between GMO and non-GMO foods in terms of nutrition, food safety, taste, texture and chemical composition. As far as I know, scientists are unable to detect any differences.
So why should the majority of us who have no issues with GMO foods shoulder the expense of labelling foods? The label would, of course, involve extra expenses for farmers, for keeping GMO-free foods and ingredients separate during food processing, distribution, warehousing and at supermarkets, restaurants and foodservice providers.
