St. Louis, Missouri, USA
October 8, 2015
Representatives of the National Corn Growers Association were on Capitol Hill Thursday to urge Congress to pass a uniform national labeling standard for foods made with genetically modified organisms.
The fly-in, organized by the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, included 125 representatives from the entirety of the nation’s food supply chain, from farmers to food companies. Farmers and state staffers from the Indiana Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, and Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association joined NCGA in the effort.
“With farming such a vital piece of Minnesota’s economy, I was excited by the opportunity to discuss why a uniform, national food labeling standard makes sense for Minnesota farmers today,” said Anna Boroff, public policy director for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. “There is enough unpredictability involved in farming, we certainly don’t need more. Unfortunately, if Congress doesn’t act soon, that’s exactly what will happen. It’s time for the Senate to pass reasonable legislation that gives farmers and consumers a consistent, transparent labeling standard.”
With Vermont’s state GMO labeling mandate set to go into effect in July, participants urged the Senate to quickly take up and pass the national standard. In July, similar legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a significant, bipartisan majority. If passed by the Senate, the bill would ensure consumers have access to the same science-based information in all 50 states. It would also create a national GMO-free certification program, so that consumers who prefer GMO-free foods have a consistent means of identifying those products.
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