The U.S. House of Representatives passed HR1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, a bill that bans states from requiring mandatory labeling for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.
“Precisely zero pieces of credible evidence have been presented that foods produced with biotechnology pose any risk to our health and safety,” said Rep. Mike Pompeo, who authored the bill. “We should not raise prices on consumers based on the wishes of a handful of activists.”
Though opponents of the bill claim that there is no harm in including this information on labels, proponents said that leaving states to create their own regulations would drive up food costs. The Grocery Manufacturers Association cited a Cornell University professor’s study that state labeling mandates could raise grocery prices for a family of four by up to $500 a year and cost manufacturers millions to change labels. The bill, which passed 275–150, instead creates a federal standard for the voluntary labeling of GMOs.
“A patchwork of confusing state specific laws related to GMO labeling risks further confusion in the marketplace and rising food costs,” a group of Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition said in a statement. “However, we also understand that consumers have the right to know if food is GMO-free and this bill provides a uniform standard for those products through a USDA administered program.”
