The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 14-6 on March 1 in favor of a bill introduced by Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) that would prohibit states from mandating the labeling of genetically modified foods (GMOs). The legislation now heads to the full Senate for consideration. The House passed a similar bill last summer dubbed by critics the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act. 
 
In July, Vermont is scheduled to become the first state to require labeling of GMOs. Connecticut and Maine have passed laws that would require labeling when neighboring states adopt similar legislation. Efforts in California and Washington state were defeated by aggressive campaigns by the food industry.
 
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) issued a statement saying he couldn’t and wouldn’t support the senate bill, which undermines the public’s right to know.  “I continue to oppose any bill that takes away the rights of Vermont or any other state to legislate in a way that advances public health and food safety, informs consumers about potential environmental effects, avoids consumer confusion, and protects religious practices. We should be moving in a direction that offers consumers more information and choices—not less information and fewer choices—about how the foods and products they choose and use are grown.” 
 
Sen. Leahy called on other senators to reject efforts to undermine the ability of a state to offer consumers information that furthers the interests of the state. “Consumers have a right to know what they are buying. Consideration of this proposed bill—which has received no hearing before the committee—would create a new ‘voluntary’ labeling standard, which companies can already do under guidance from the Food and Drug Administration. This is nothing more than an attack on Vermont’s law and on Vermonters’ voices in our state government.”
 
Sen. Roberts and supporters of the bill have claimed a state patchwork of labeling laws would hurt the food industry and consumers. “Our draft has the overwhelming support of virtually every agricultural industry from field to fork and beyond,” Sen. Roberts said in a statement. “This demonstrates the widespread concerns of significant and critical sectors of our economy regarding the urgent need to address biotech labeling before the patchwork of state laws harms producers and consumers.”
 
Campbell Soup Company recently came out in support of mandatory GMO labeling and a national standard. “We are operating with a ‘Consumer First’ mindset,” the company said. “We put the consumer at the center of everything we do. That’s how we’ve built trust for nearly 150 years. We have always believed that consumers have the right to know what’s in their food. GMO has evolved to be a top consumer food issue reaching a critical mass of 92% of consumers in favor of putting it on the label.”
 
Colin O’Neil, agriculture policy director for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), said it’s “outrageous” that lawmakers could ignore the wishes of Americans who overwhelmingly support GMO labeling.
 
“The version of the DARK Act that has been introduced by Chairman Roberts would rob Americans of their right to know what’s in their food and how it’s grown. We continue to hope that thoughtful food companies like Campbell’s will work with consumer groups to craft a non-judgmental GMO disclosure to put on the back of food packaging. Americans should have the same right as citizens of 64 other countries to know what’s in their food and how it’s grown.”
 
The New York Times editorial team came out against the bill last week, saying, “There is no harm in providing consumers more information about their food. A study published in the journal Food Policy in 2014 found that labels about genetic modification did not influence what people thought about those foods.”
 
Tom Colicchio, famous chef, food advocate and co-founder of Food Policy Action (FPA) has urged other chefs to weigh in and oppose legislation that would prevent mandatory GMO labeling. In less than a week an FPA petition received 4,000 signatures from chefs and other food professionals from 37 states.
 
“Consumers in 64 other countries have the right to know whether the food they buy contains GMOs, and consumers in the United States should have that same choice. Senator Roberts’ outrageous new bill is exactly the kind of anti-transparency measure that voters across the country are rejecting,” said Mr. Colicchio.