Washington, D.C. – On Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill to provide uniform national standards for labeling food products that are derived from genetically engineered plants or ingredients, and to provide the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture’s the ability to ensure the safety of ingredients in foods.
“There is a misconception that consumers who want products that have not been genetically modified will be limited in their options. That is simply not true; the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act will create a program similar to the popular “USDA Organic” certification for foods and products that have not been genetically modified,” said Thompson, a member of the House Committee on Agriculture.
In a July 20 letter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture to Thompson in support of H.R. 1599, Secretary of Agriculture Russell C. Redding wrote, “The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture continues to support a single, federal science-based voluntary labeling effort, in lieu of a state-by-state patchwork quilt of laws and regulations.
“The potential for 50 different state laws regarding labeling has the potential to mislead consumers, raise the price of groceries for Pennsylvania families and do nothing to ensure food safety.”
During a July 22, statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thompson addressed some of the misconceptions surrounding genetically engineered or modified seeds and organisms, “With a growing world demand for food and fewer Americans engaged in farming, science and innovation have become essential components of agriculture and remain paramount to meet increased demand.
“While some continue to question the safety of consuming genetically modified foods, the overwhelming consensus among various credible scientific organizations – such as the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization, and the American Medical Association – remains. Quite simply, there is no sound scientific evidence that such crops or foods are harmful to human health or the environment.”
H.R. 1599 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 275-150.
