From the House Committee on Agriculture:
Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act by a vote of 275-150. The bill, authored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC) was approved by the House Agriculture Committee on July 14, 2015, by voice vote.
“Advances in technology have allowed the U.S. to enjoy the safest, highest quality, most abundant, diverse and affordable supply of food and fiber mankind has ever known. With the world’s population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, biotechnology is an essential tool for our farmers to meet this demand in an environmentally sound, sustainable, and affordable way. Unfortunately, proposed Federal and State laws threaten this innovation by generating a patchwork of differing labeling requirements, which will result in inconsistent and confusing information for consumers and interfere with interstate commerce. H.R. 1599 establishes a voluntary nation-wide marketing program that gives consumers access to consistent, reliable information while protecting advancements in food production technology and innovation,” said Chairman Conaway.
From the National Corn Growers Association:
(WASHINGTON) July 23, 2015 — The National Corn Growers Association today praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act. This important legislation will create a consumer-friendly, science-based labeling standard for foods made with genetically modified organisms, as well as for GMO-free foods.
“Bipartisan support for this legislation, evident on the floor during today’s House vote, continues to grow” said NCGA Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team chair John Linder, a farmer from Ohio. “We applaud the House for tackling this critical issue head on, and now urge the Senate to act as soon as possible”
Introduced by Reps. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., a group of 106 Democrats and Republicans have cosponsored the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act. This legislation sets a uniform, common-sense national standard for labeling foods with GMOs and for GMO-free foods.
“We must pass federal legislation this year to avoid realization of the threat of an unworkable patchwork of state GMO labeling mandates which will drive up costs for farmers and consumers alike,” Linder said. “With Vermont’s state labeling law is set to take effect next July, the looming impacts of this situation increase the urgency of the need for Congress to act on a national labeling law.”
From the American Soybean Association:
WASHINGTON (July 23, 2015) – The American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomes a vote today from the House of Representatives to approve H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, which would establish a national, voluntary framework for the labeling of foods either containing or not containing genetically engineered ingredients.
“The passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act is a significant victory for the freedom of soybean farmers to make the most of the broad range of advances that biotechnology provides for our industry,” said Wade Cowan, ASA President and a soybean farmer from Brownfield, Texas. “Congressmen Pompeo and Butterfield as well as Chairman Conaway and Ranking Member Peterson have each worked tirelessly alongside farmers and industry to ensure that our ability to make the most of this technology, which has been unanimously proven safe, isn’t infringed upon. We send them our most sincere thanks, and look forward to working with our partners in the Senate to advance this legislation to the President.”
The legislation would require developers of genetically engineered plants to obtain FDA safety clearance on all new plant varieties before those foods are introduced into commerce; uphold FDA’s authority to specify special labeling if it finds a health or safety risk is posed by such a variety; create a legal framework governing the use of label claims regarding either the absence or presence of GMOs in a food product; require FDA to define the term ‘natural’ on food labels.
“The bill accomplishes much, including the prevention of a state-by-state patchwork of conflicting labeling laws that would drive up grocery costs,” added Cowan. “Additionally, the bill empowers and guides those companies who wish to label and market their products as GMO-free to do so by through a USDA-accredited certification process. ASA believes this approach, which would label a select subset of products marketed at a premium, makes far more sense than labeling the vast majority of common, everyday products in the grocery store. What it also avoids is the inevitable demonization of these products based on debunked science and willful misinformation. With the advent and advance of modern biotechnology, farmers have made massive strides toward addressing the significant challenge that lies ahead of us—to feed a global population of nearly 10 billion by 2050. We simply can’t meet that challenge if we allow our technology to be stigmatized based on false safety claims.”
ASA’s focus now shifts to the Senate, where a companion bill from Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota awaits markup in the Agriculture Committee.
From the American Seed Trade Association:
July 23: American Seed Trade Association President & CEO Andrew W. LaVigne released the following statement on the House of Representatives passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, H.R. 1599:
“The American Seed Trade Association is pleased to be among more than 400 organizations representing all parts of the food chain in applauding the swift consideration and passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act by the House of Representatives.
“We are glad to see the House of Representatives recognize that genetic engineering is an important tool for American agriculture. This legislation ensures a uniform approach to food labeling which will provide valuable information to American consumers without unnecessarily increasing grocery store prices. A potential patchwork of state food labeling regulations would be misleading and costly to comply with and enforce.
“ASTA members have actively engaged their representatives in the House and we encourage prompt Senate action.”