Senate Food Fight Erupts Over Sham GMO Labeling Bill [View all]

[proverbialwisdom]

Source: by Lauren McCauley, staff writer, Common Dreams

Published on Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Sen. Bernie Sanders has vowed to put a hold on the legislation, which could be voted on days after Vermont's law takes effect

The pending "compromise" GMO labeling bill has food safety and consumer advocates both in and out of government scrambling to block the legislation, which they warn will destroy popular efforts to label products made with genetically modified (GMO) ingredients.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has vowed to put a hold on the legislation, which would prevent it from coming up for debate unless proponents can muster 60 votes.

The legislation is seen as a direct threat to a GMO labeling law passed in Sanders' home state of Vermont, which is slated to take effect on Friday. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, also from Vermont, on Tuesday declared his opposition to the legislation.

"Vermont will become the first state in the nation to require GMO labeling," Sanders said in a press statement. "This is a triumph for ordinary Americans over the powerful interests of Monsanto and other multi-national food industry corporations. We cannot allow Vermont’s law to be overturned by bad federal legislation that has just been announced."

Sanders promised to do everything he can to defeat the bi-partisan bill, introduced last week by Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).


Read more: http://commondreams.org/news/2016/06/29/senate-food-fight-erupts-over-sham-gmo-labeling-bill

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http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-to-put-hold-on-gmo-labeling-legislation
https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-labeling-genetically-engineered-ingredients
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/gmo-labeling-to-senateoppose62916_29341.pdf