Anti-GMO labelling law approved by US House Agriculture Committee

The US House Agriculture Committee has approved a move that would ban the mandatory labeling of food by companies informing consumers of products containing genetically modified organisms.

Titled the ‘Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015’, the legislation provides companies with a voluntary programme for disclosing genetically modified ingredients, and will require firms that develop new bioengineered foods to get approval through a voluntary programme, currently run by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Under the programme, the FDA inspects a company’s claims of a product being safe.

However, companies interested in labelling their products GMO-free will need to submit to a certification process that will be overseen by the Department of Agriculture, reported the Huffington Post.

Supporting the move, Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) CEO Pamela Bailey said: "This critically important bipartisan legislation will ensure that Americans have accurate, consistent information about their food, rather than a 50 state patchwork of labelling laws that will only prove costly and confusing for consumers, farmers and food manufacturers.

"It is imperative that the House and Senate move quickly to pass the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act. It will put a science-based framework in place that provides consumers across the country with uniform food labelling standards."

Once implemented, the bill will stop states such as Vermont, who want to introduce their own labelling laws.

While supporters of GMO labelling have argued that consumers have a right to know if their food contain GMO products, labelling opponents have said that such labeling will increase the cost of food, and also end up confusing consumers.