This in from Rep. Peter DeFazio’s office today:
DeFazio Encourages President Obama to Adopt GMO Labeling Standards
Washington, DC – Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) joined members of Congress and more than 200 businesses and organizations today to support a letter sent to President Obama. The letter encourages the President to fulfill his 2007 pledge to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adopt a national mandatory GMO labeling system.
Signatories of the letter include Oregon Tilth, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Amy’s Kitchen, Annie’s Homegrown, Inc., Applegate, Stonyfield Farm, Nature’s Path Foods, the Center for Food Safety, Just Label It, and Environmental Working Group.
Rep. DeFazio has long supported a standard that would empower consumers to know what’s in the food they eat. In April 2013, he and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, legislation that would require the FDA to clearly label genetically engineered (GE) foods. Rep. DeFazio’s House bill has 50 co-sponsors.
While the FDA requires the labeling of more than 3,000 ingredients, additives and processes, the agency has resisted labels for genetically modified food.
“It’s time the FDA’s policies reflect 21st century food technologies. After all, twenty years ago they didn’t have corn that could produce its own insecticide,” DeFazio said. “Plain and simple, this is about consumer rights. People should have the ability to make an informed choice about what they feed their family and we know it’s not an impossible request of food manufacturers, because they already label GMOs in more than sixty countries. Food manufacturers can and should offer that same standard right here in the U.S.”
You can find a link to the letter to President Obama here.