On March 16, 2016, the Senate failed to approve, with a vote of
48–49, a bill introduced by Sen. Roberts (R-Kan), chairman of
the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, that
aimed at providing a biotechnology labeling solution. The bill
sought to create voluntary national standards for labeling food
with genetically modified organisms ("GMOs") and to
preempt states, such as Vermont, from passing laws that require
food companies to label their biotech food or seed products as
bioengineered. The approval of a voluntary versus a mandatory
biotech labeling law has been under discussion for some time. The
decision of the Senate could be considered a win for those
environmental groups, organizations, and Democrats that refer to
voluntary GMO labeling bills as "deny Americans the right to know" or
"DARK" Acts. Alternatively, Republicans and major food
and biotech companies claim mandatory disclosure would negatively
affect the food industry as it could give consumers the
misimpression that the government itself thinks genetically
engineered food is not safe for consumers. Despite the bill having
been rejected, Sen. Roberts, who thinks GMO labeling is a market issue, and clearly not a
safety or health issue, said he will continue "to work on a solution to a critical problem that
will face every American every day."
The House Agriculture Committee passed similar legislation on July 14, 2015, and is
still awaiting the Senate's vote. For more details about this
bill, see our previous Jones Day Update.
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