Bill Seeks to Block Mandatory GM Labeling

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas) has introduced legislation (H.R. 4432) that
would prohibit states from implementing labeling laws for foods that contain
genetically modified (GM) ingredients. Titled the “Safe and Accurate Food
Labeling Act,” the bill would (i) require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to mandate GM labeling only if those foods “are found to be unsafe or
materially different from foods produced without biotech ingredients”; and
(ii) establish a federal labeling standard for foods with GM ingredients, giving
FDA sole authority to require labeling on such foods if they are ever deemed
unsafe or materially different from foods produced without GM ingredients.

According to news sources, Pompeo contends that state campaigns to label
foods containing GM ingredients are intended to scare consumers, not inform
them. GM crops have made “food safer and more abundant,” Pompeo said. “It
has been an enormous boon to all of humanity.”

GM labeling advocates, however, reportedly refer to Pompeo’s bill as the
“Deny Americans the Right to Know” or “DARK” Act, arguing that GM labeling
would allow consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. See Reuters.
com, April 9, 2014; Rep. Mike Pompeo News Release, April 10, 2014.

Issue 520