August 2016 Articles

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Senate Passes GMO Labeling Legislation

Senate Passes GMO Labeling Legislation Source: Beltway Beef Newsletter Tonight, the Senate passed legislation by a vote of 63 to 30 for the labeling of genetically engineered foods. The bill establishes a national, uniform standard and requires companies to disclose genetically modified ingredients through digital codes rather than stigmatizing through on-package labeling. While it is a mandatory program, there are several provisions which ensure the beef industry is protected: 1. The bill exempts all animal feed from this program. Therefore, beef would not be labeled as a result of consuming GMO feed. 2. It further exempts products covered under the Federal Meat Inspection Act which are inspected by the Food Safety Inspection Service. This means that muscle cuts, ground product, etc. will not be covered by this law. 3. Mandatory disclosure only applies to products which are inspected by FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, unless the first ingredient in that product is beef. If the first ingredient is beef, then it will also be exempt from this law. There is an additional provision that says if the first ingredient is broth or water and the second ingredient is beef, then it will also be exempt. If beef falls anywhere else on the ingredient list, it will be subject to this law. These provisions go a long way in protecting the industry from another activist-driven, anti-agriculture mandatory labeling program like the Vermont law, which went into effect last week. Senate Ag Committee Chairman, Pat Roberts from Kansas, worked hard to make sure these provisions where included and NCBA is grateful to him for his work.