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Oct 08, 2015
More than 20 leaders and staff from the American Soybean Association (ASA) and state affiliates helped lead a fly-in organized by the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food this week in Washington, D.C. to urge Senators to back the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act.
The legislation would establish a voluntary national labeling standard for foods containing biotechnology-derived ingredients. ASA is a founding member of the Coalition and continues to serve as a guiding voice on the Coalition’s steering committee.
ASA farmer leaders and staff from Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin partnered with farmers from other commodities, plant managers from food processing facilities and industry leaders from all walks of agriculture to meet with more than 140 Senate and House offices representing 20 states.
The bill has yet to be introduced in the Senate, after passing the House earlier this summer with 275 votes. Republican Sen. John Hoeven, of North Dakota, has committed to taking up the bill, but a Democratic cosponsor is still needed, which was a primary purpose of the fly-in. Additionally, farmers met with House offices that championed the bill in that chamber to thank them for their work on the bill.
