Randy Veach: Voluntary, National Standard For Labeling Foods With Genetically Modified Ingredients A Wise Move

Editor’s note: Randy Veach, author of this guest commentary, is the president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, passed July 23 in the U.S. House of Representatives, is common-sense legislation that affirms the federal government’s role at the top of America’s food safety pyramid. It creates a single, unified standard for food to be labeled as “GMO free” as part of a USDA program modeled after the popular USDA Organics program, and protects food companies and consumers from a costly and confusing patchwork of state-by-state labeling laws.

The proposal passed the House by a 275-150 margin, including support from all four members of the Arkansas delegation, Reps. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro, Steve Womack of Rogers, Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs and French Hill of Little Rock. A companion bill is likely to draw Senate attention this fall.

Almost as if on cue we have heard loud complaints from some anti-Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) campaigners, who have ramped up their volley of rancor and confusion in an effort to demonize science and efficiencies designed to feed a growing world.

American farmers have used GMOs for more than two decades. In that time, every major scientific and health organization, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has concluded GMOs are as safe as any other food. These truths have been problematic for anti-GMO groups, who initially tried to create fears of health risks.

The overwhelming scientific consensus has forced these activists to change their attack to something that also is flawed: a claim that their efforts help the consumers ‘right to know.’ As a general notion this seems logical, but when applied to the GMO debate it is clear that labeling mandates to address this ‘right to know’ is something that actually is a ‘right to confuse’ consumers.

Forcing food companies to label every product that has any GMO ingredients would also be a massive and expensive undertaking. A study by Nature Biotechnology found that mandating labels to such a massive number of products would cost the government $1 billion, while a study done by a Cornell University professor said that state labeling mandates could increase the average American family of four’s food costs by $500 a year.

Historically, the government has limited labeling requirements to information that is essential for consumers to know. As the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group, recently testified before Congress, “If we mandated everything on a label, consumers don’t know what is the most critical information … The things that are most critical are either safety information or nutritional information. This doesn’t qualify there.”

Again, the overriding factor in passage of this measure is the safety of genetically enhanced foods. The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences and many other organizations have found GMOs to be perfectly safe. Nearly 2,000 independent, peer-reviewed studies support these findings.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act is common sense in action, and I applaud our House delegation for their ability to see through the rancor and confusion. We look forward to working with Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton as the issue comes to the U.S. Senate.