Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson says if individual states are allowed to have their own food labeling laws, consumers will pay the price.
The ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee said the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act would create a federal standard for the voluntary labeling of foods with GMO ingredients.
The bill passed in the House and is now in the hands of the Senate.
“If this bill doesn’t pass and there are a whole bunch of state initiatives that do pass, and the courts don’t stop it, the effect will be to significantly raise the cost of food to the consumer.”
Peterson said agriculture could become the scapegoat if food prices go up as a result of state-by-state food labeling laws.
“Unfortunately, the people that pushed this through will tell the consumers it’s not their fault; that it’s agriculture’s fault and the food company’s fault. And then they’ll be in wanting more government help to help the poor people pay for the food that they raised prices on in the first place.”
Barring a national food labeling standard, a mandatory GMO labeling law would go into effect next year in Vermont.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com