ASTA, BIO and NGFA and 30 other groups have joined the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association to support federal legislation to address the proliferation of state initiatives. The legislation will seek to:
- Eliminate Confusion: Remove the confusion and uncertainty of a 50 state patchwork of GMO safety and labeling laws and affirm the FDA as the nation's authority for the use and labeling of genetically modified food ingredients.
- Advance Food Safety: Require the FDA to conduct a safety review of all new GMO traits before they are introduced into commerce. FDA will be empowered to mandate the labeling of GMO food ingredients if the agency determines there is a health, safety or nutrition issue with GMO technology.
- Inform Consumers: The FDA will establish federal standards for companies that want to voluntarily label their product for the absence-of or presence-of GMO food ingredients so that consumers clearly understand their choices in the marketplace.
- Provide Consistency: The FDA will define the term "natural" for its use on food and beverage products so that food and beverage companies and consumers have a consistent legal framework that will guide food labels and inform consumer choice.
Basic talking points are on the coalition website: http://coalitionforsafeaffordablefood.org/support-federal-solution
The bill will be introduced as early as next week. The names of bill co-sponsors and the date of introduction are still fluid. The bill will be sponsored by members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. When the bill is introduced, it will be important for offices to hear from constituents in favor of the bill. We know they will be getting thousands of calls from groups opposed to the bill. We will let you know as soon as the bill is introduced and provide you with a sample e-mail to send to members of that committee.
In the meantime, if you haven't already checked out http://GMOAnswers.com, it is a tremendous resource for information on biotechnology. Attached are answers to the top 10 ten questions the website has received.
Please don't hesitate to be in touch with questions.
The letter is signed by Pat Miller and Jane DeMarchi, who together, constitute the Government Affairs staff of the American Seed Trade Association.