US House passes industry-friendly GM food labelling bill

摘要

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation that would block state GMO [genetically modified organisms] labelling laws and order the federal government to develop a voluntary certification process for foods labelled as non-GMO. The Republican-controlled House approved The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (HR 1599) by a margin of 275 to 150, with 45 Democrats voting for the bill. Debate over the measure was at times heated, but the final result was never in doubt. Introduced in March by Representative Mike Pompeo, a Kansas state Republican, the bill gained more than 100 co-sponsors in the House and had the backing of major industry groups, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Biotechnology Industry Organization, American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Corn Growers Association. It was approved by the House Agriculture Committee earlier this month.