The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act Introduced in Congress

As GMO labeling laws are being ping ponged around in the states, a new bill in Congress has been introduced that would put a stop to individual state’s labeling efforts. Known as the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, the legislation would preempt any state law on labeling and place the responsibility with the FDA.

(If you need to catch up, I’ve discussed the FDA taking control over labeling here.)

The cool thing is that the bill is actually bipartisan. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) drafted the measure along with Rep. Mike Pompeo (R -KS). Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Rep. Ed Whitefield (R-KY) are also co-sponsoring the bill.

According to FBNews, the legislation has two main components:

First, it requires FDA to conduct a safety review of all new GMO traits well before they’re available on supermarket shelves and empowers the agency to mandate the labeling of GMO food ingredients if the agency determines there is a health, safety or nutrition issue with a new GMO technology.

Second, it will ensure farmers and ranchers have access to the technology they need to provide consumers with the variety of food options and price points they expect, and need. This legislation will ensure food safety is the leading driver of a national labeling policy, while maintaining the affordability of the U.S. food supply.

And that’s the great thing — the FDA can decide a label is necessary when there is a reason for it. For example, if a biotech product uses genes from a known allergen, let’s say peanuts, the FDA could clearly mandate that the product includes a label saying so. But the FDA would be working from science and standards, not just fear-mongering like the anti-GMO activists.

As Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau, said in a statement about the bill:

The GMO labeling ballot initiatives and legislative efforts that many state lawmakers and voters are facing are geared toward making people wrongly fear what they’re eating and feeding their children. They undermine the public’s understanding of the many benefits of biotechnology in feeding a growing population – and keeping costs down.

Rep. Mike Pompeo was on the same page when explaining the need for this legislation: “Some of the campaigns in some of the states aren’t really to inform consumers but rather aimed at scaring them. And so it’s my judgment and what this bill attempts to do is set a standard.” (Harvest)

As I’ve demonstrated countless times before, these state labeling efforts are generally not about “right to know.” Rather, they’re aimed at scaring consumers into not purchasing GMOs. Anti-GMO people couldn’t care less if consumers know what’s in their food. If they did, they would be scaring them with fake studies about biotech.

As it stands, there are currently 27 states considering mandatory labeling measures in their respective legislatures. Of course, the issue of GMO labeling was brought to a popular vote in California and Washington and, ultimately, failed in both those states.

Putting fear aside, the biggest problem with the state approach is that it leaves farmers and producers with a bunch of mismatched, conflicting, and confusing state rules. For example, the California ballot measure was not even close to the Washington ballot proposal regarding what would be labeled. Farmers and producers would have to figure out the law in all 50 states individually and then try to find a way to meet all of them. It certainly isn’t a stretch of the imagination to suggest that the same product would have to include several various state labels. One can only imagine the legal expense and battles that would ensue!

It certainly makes sense to put such an issue into the FDA’s hands. They are one of the agencies responsible for regulating the commercial use of biotech products (the EPA and USDA also may play a role). Allowing the FDA the right to regulate labeling GMOs makes sense from an economic perspective. There should be one set of rules, based on safety factors and science, that farmers and producers can trust will be legal and accepted across the entire country.

But it also makes sense from a scientific perspective. After all, shouldn’t the agency responsible for evaluating all the scientific data set forth to “de-regulate” the biotech product also determine whether labeling is necessary? Certainly there are countless educated and well-meaning legislators across the 50 states that are more than willing to take this issue up. But what do they really know about biotech and safety? Probably not necessarily a whole lot.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act is definitely a better alternative than the mess the states will create with individual labeling requirements. Rep. Pompeo hoped that the bill could be passed this year, even if it is currently without a co-sponsor in the Senate. I hope so and will be following it closely!

But the end of the year is a long ways off and anything could happen to derail this measure. Not to mention that the legislation would go against a bill introduced last year by Representative Polis (D – Colorado) requiring the FDA to implement mandatory labeling of GMOs. (You can visit Polis’ website here and let him know you think this is a really bad idea. I did!) It’s frankly obvious that Rep. Polis and the other Congressman supporting mandatory labeling feel comfortable spreading fear instead of facts.

If you’d like to tell your Congressman to support the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, click here.

By the way, you’ll be able to track and read the entire bill here.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act Introduced in Congress

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