Carper Statement on Congressional Passage of Legislation to Require Nationwide GMO Labeling

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after the House voted to approve a bipartisan bill to establish a nationwide mandatory labeling requirement for food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO). The same bill was passed in the Senate earlier this month and will go to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“At the beginning of July, the country’s first GMO labeling law took effect in Vermont, but that law only regulates food being sold within Vermont’s borders. Today Congress took important action on the federal level to create GMO labeling requirements in every state, including the majority of states that haven’t yet acted to require GMO labeling. The bill we’ve just sent to the President’s desk will give consumers the information they need and deserve, without creating a logistical nightmare that would stifle American businesses.

“There are some critics of this compromise who assert we don’t go far enough to protect Americans from GMOs, but there is overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that GMOs are safe for public health. In May, the National Academy of Sciences released an independent report that determined genetically engineered crops are just as safe to eat as conventional crops. More recently, more than 100 Nobel laureates sent a letter to Greenpeace, the United Nations and governments around the world, urging them to end opposition to GMOs.

“The federal government should take a reasonable, principled and science-based approach to address the issue of GMO labeling – and that’s exactly what this bipartisan bill does. This is a bipartisan victory for American consumers, companies and farmers. It’s a compromise that shows the country that Congress can work together across the aisle to get things done.”