On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry agreed on a new bill aimed at labeling foods with genetically modified ingredients. The committee has been trying for several months to get a bill passed before Vermont's labeling law goes into effect on July 1.
U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow released a statement, calling the bill "an important path forward that represents a true compromise. Since time is of the essence, we urge our colleagues to move swiftly to support this bill." Roberts said if his colleagues do not act on the bill now Vermont's law will cause confusion in the marketplace. The bill would give the U.S. Department of Agriculture two years to write the labeling rules.
The bipartisan proposal would immediately prohibit states and cities from passing labeling laws for genetically modified or engineered ingredients. Genetically modified or engineered seeds are engineered to have certain traits, such as resistance to herbicides. The majority of the United States' corn and soybean crops are now GE, including a large portion that is used for animal feed.