Legislation to block state labelling laws for foods derived from genetically modified crops and require the USDA to develop voluntary national labels for non-GMO foods has easily passed the House Agriculture Committee. The panel on July 14th approved The Safe and Accurate Food Labelling Act (HR 1599) by voice vote after a 15-minute markup that showed strong support for the proposal. The measure would pre-empt state labelling efforts and block states or local jurisdictions from imposing bans on GM crops. It orders the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to develop a voluntary certification process for foods labeled as non-GMO. Milk and meat products would only be certified as non-GMO if the animals have been fed non-GMO feed. The bill would also make the US FDA’s current voluntary consultation process for producers of GMO foods mandatory and require the agency to define the term “natural.”
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