MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Senate Agriculture Committee passed the Chairman’s Mark on Biotechnology Labeling Solutions in a 14-6 vote on Tuesday, sending the bill for full Senate deliberations.
"It is very disturbing that Republicans in Congress, while blocking any meaningful legislation, have found the time to push a law that deprives Vermont’s citizens their right to know about the food they buy, and could rescind over one hundred and thirty [130] other state laws on food and seed," CFS Executive Director Andrew Kimbrell said.
Committee Chairman Pat Roberts argued that "what we’re facing today is not a safety or health issue. It is a market issue."
"This is really a conversation about a few states dictating to every state the way food moves from farmers to consumers in the value chain. We have a responsibility to ensure that the national market can work for everyone, including farmers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers," Roberts said.
Over 60 countries currently require manufacturers to label foods containing GMO ingredients. US legislation requires GMO labeling on foods only if they are decreed to be unsafe by the Food and Drug Administration.
