VPIRG reaction to Senate vote on GMO “labeling” bill

Yesterday afternoon, the US Senate voted in favor of bringing up a final vote on a GMO labeling proposal put forward by Senator Stabenow (D-Mich) and Senator Roberts (R-Kan).

This bill would eliminate Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO labeling law, and delay any labeling for up to two years while the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture develops rules. The Secretary would be charged with developing three options of disclosure, including a plain language label, a symbol, and electronic or digital links accompanied by the wording “scan here for more food information”.

This proposal has a number of substantial flaws and is opposed by VPIRG, Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders, Representative Welch, Governor Shumlin, and consumer and environmental groups around the country.

VPIRG Consumer and Environmental Advocate Falko Schilling commented on today’s vote saying,

“It’s extremely disappointing to see the Senate vote in support of this sham labeling proposal. This bill is nothing but a corporate giveaway aimed at keeping consumers in the dark about what’s in their food. We are calling on all Senators who voted in favor of this proposal to reconsider their position, and stand with the 90% of consumers who support labeling GMOs. We urge the House of Representatives and the President to reject the Stabenow-Roberts proposal, and want to thank our congressional delegation for their strong support for a consumer’s right to know.”

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