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Dec 17, 2014
ASA Washington staff participated in separate meetings with the Republican and Democrat staff for the House Agriculture Committee to discuss preparations for the reintroduction of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (HR 4432) in 2015. The bill would require FDA to develop voluntary national standards for labeling foods that do not contain biotech ingredients, and would establish federal preemption of state biotech labeling laws that would disrupt interstate commerce and force food companies to pass the cost of mandatory labeling on to consumers. ASA and other farm organizations have been considering ways to build broader Congressional support for HR 4432, including requiring AMS/USDA to develop standards for certifying non-GMO products. This change would give the Congressional Agriculture Committees authority to consider the legislation, including holding hearings and marking-up the bill. Another idea under review is whether and how to require FDA to make an affirmative finding that a biotech event is safe, and to have the finding reflected in a decision by PHIS/USDA to deregulate the event. ASA and other members of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food are working to reach consensus on how to proceed on these issues before new legislation is introduced next year.
