WASHINGTON, April 6, 2016 - Senate Agriculture Chairman
Pat Roberts and ranking member Debbie Stabenow say they’re committed to passing
legislation that would preempt state GMO labeling laws. But moves by food
companies to start labeling their products may embolden Democrats to insist on
a national requirement for some kind of on-package labeling.
Stabenow,
D-Mich., told Agri-Pulse that she hoped to have a new proposal by today
(April 6). She didn’t disclose what it would entail. Before the Easter recess
some Democrats were floating the idea of a requiring either a symbol or a
special phone number, which would be accompanied by wording on how consumers
could get information about genetically engineered ingredients.
Such on-package labeling has been a non-starter for the
industry because of concerns that it would stigmatize biotechnology and lead
companies to reformulate products to remove genetically engineered ingredients.
But Stabenow suggests that the labeling plans by major companies such as
General Mills and Kellogg indicate those fears may be unfounded.
“I’ve had long
conversations with them. They don’t believe it’s a problem,” Stabenow
said of the companies.
Asked if those labeling announcements are changing the
Senate debate, she said, “I think people would be surprised that most foods are
genetically modified. FDA has said it’s safe and I think we need to find a way
to just provide information that doesn’t hurt agriculture.”
“I certainly
don’t think it’s going to hurt” the technology, she said of labeling.
A biotech bill has been stalled in the Senate since
Democrats blocked a cloture motion March 16. Roberts, a Kansas Republican, and
Stabenow didn’t talk about the bill at all during the two-week recess, but they
discussed other pending issues on the Senate floor Monday evening. Sen. John
Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican who discussed the issue with Stabenow after
Roberts did, said she suggested some possible ideas for a compromise. He said
he would be running the proposals by GOP colleagues.
Roberts is still worried about the possibility of
companies moving away from GMOs. General Mills, in fact, hasn’t ruled out
changing its ingredients at some point, although the company says it now has no
plans to do so.
Any compromise that mandates biotech labeling risks
losing Republican support, Roberts says.
“If we get legislation that
attracts allegedly 10 to 20 Democrats, it will probably be legislation that
will cost me the same amount on the other side. Something has got to give
here,”
he told Agri-Pulse.
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