The GMO Debate Wages On

July 11, 2016 – By #South Dakota Farmer UnionAsk around and you will find that GMO labeling has been one of the most divisive issues in agriculture in recent years. It is a tug-of-war of sorts between a consumer’s right to know and the negative associations attached to the term “genetically modified.”

On one hand, you have the fact that it has never been scientifically proven that GMO’s have any negative impact through human consumption. On the other, you have polls indicating that nearly 90% of consumers want to know what is in their food regardless. Much like a cucumber soaked in brine, this situation is a pickle.

This debate wages on in Congress as the Senate recently voted 63-30 in favor of a bill that would establish multiple forms of mandatory labeling. This bill is a direct response to the bill passed in the state of Vermont that would require all food products sold in the state to bare such a label. Many argued that state-by-state labeling laws simply wouldn’t be practical and could potentially raise food costs across the country. So now the House of Representatives will take up the Senate approved legislation and attempt to establish a national standard for labeling.

Currently the bill would require that the GMO contents would be labeled with either words, pictures, or a “quick response” (QR) code that could be scanned with a smartphone. The bill has bipartisan support and is sponsored by Senator Pat Roberts (R) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D). The Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food sent a letter in support of the bill with over 1,000 organizations signing on. The bill is expected to pass the House. At the most recent convention, members of National Farmers Union voted to support a voluntary labeling policy in the NFU policy program. With that in mind, Farmers Union has remained neutral in the discussion over the current legislation.

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Last Modified: 07/11/2016 6:38:07 pm MDT