House Bans States from Mandatory GMO Labeling Laws
U.S. House of Representatives passed a new bill on Thursday, which prevents all states from introducing or implementing mandatory Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) labeling on food products.
According to the new bill, states will not be able to push food manufacturers and producers to indicate the presence of GMO ingredients in their products even within the state jurisdiction, The Associated Press reported.
As of today, Vermont remains the only state that follows a GMO-labeling policy but with the introduction of the new bill, which would take effect in July 2016 if it passes the Senate, none of the states will be able to have the opportunity to give the consumers a choice between GMO and non-GMO products.
Major food corporations, which are backing the new bill passed by the House, use GMO ingredients in abundance. In fact their profitability heavily relies on cheap GMO ingredients. Such companies claim that GMOs are safe to consume and there is not any evidence to support the idea that they are harmful in any way.
Currently, the overwhelming majority of corn, soybean, sugar beets produced in the USA are genetically altered, in other words they are GMOs. Some of the production is used to feed animals, which eventually ends its journey on consumer's table and the rest is used to make soybean oil, corn starch and high-fructose corn syrup, ingredients that are found in majority of processed food products, AP reported.
The sponsor of the bill Kansas Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo said: "The reality, is biotechnology has time and time again proved safe. We should not raise prices on consumers based on the wishes of a handful of activists," reported AP.
On the other hand, the opponents of the bill say that GMO labeling is necessary and part of the consumer's freedom of choice, which is the backbone of the free market economy. One of those labeling advocates Vermont Rep. Peter Welch said: "What is the problem with letting consumers know what they are buying?"
