The following is a statement from Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) President Richard Guebert, Jr., regarding the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the GMO labeling legislation.
“We’re extremely pleased to see the House of Representatives vote with the Senate to pass the Roberts-Stabenow GMO labeling bill, effectively preventing a rise in food prices.
“In addition to protecting Americans’ wallets from a jump in prices at the grocery store, this bill will help prevent an expensive patchwork of state-by-state mandatory GMO food labeling laws.
“The legislation also gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to develop rules for how companies may label GMO ingredients, including on-package disclosures, a simple symbol or an electronic label, which will afford consumers the ability to know exactly what’s in their food if they so choose.
IFB will continue to work with the USDA to producer a workable rule for agriculture. “We would like to thank the members of our Illinois delegation who supported the bill, and urge the President to sign the legislation as quickly as possible.”
