U.S. Senate will vote today whether or not the government should require mandatory labeling on foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. This will put an end to the controversial issue that divides American on GMO food labeling in the whole country.
The Senate is set to vote on a measure that would create voluntary national standards for labeling food with genetically modified ingredients. The bill would prevent states from mandating labels just before Vermont was set to become the first in the nation to impose such requirements.
"State-by-state GMO labeling is simply not an option, as testimony at this and earlier hearings has shown. A better approach is federal legislation endorsed by NMPF that would set up voluntary regulations for labeling foods with GMO ingredients" said Jim Mulhern, National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO.
On the one hand, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association (GMA) backs up anti-GMO labeling campaigns when it violated Washington campaign finance disclosure laws by shielding the identities of major corporate donors funding efforts to defeat a food labeling initiative in Washington. Huge food industries put their money to eliminate mandatory GMO labeling.
There's so much money placed to kill the GMO labeling bill all over America. On the other hand, protesters of anti-GMO labeling are also determined that they have the right to know what's in their food. There are lobbyists that help the cause of those who are pro-GMO labeling. One of them is Michele Simon, a D.C.lobbyist for plant-based food business who founded the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA). These two major players of the anti-GMO labeling and the rallyists of pro-GMO labeling are intensively waiting as to the future of America when it comes to food safety.
The Senate will surely be scrutinized on how they will cast their vote on the GMO labeling issue.
