Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 28 | Page 9

On July 29th the controversial Roberts-Stabenow GMO labeling
bill, which was backed by large food and agriculture groups,
was signed into effect—much to the dismay of non-GMO
advocates and the majority of consumers in the United States
today. Critics state this legislation is ineffective, confusing and
full of loopholes.
Apparently, the government’s own Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) said the bill would exempt most current GMO foods
from being labeled at all. This is due to the bill’s definition
of “bioengineered” which specifies that the bill applies to food
“that contains genetic material that has been modified” through
in vitro recombinant DNA techniques. In other words, it would
leave out many highly-processed foods from GMO sources.
The FDA went on to say that it may be difficult for any GMO
food to qualify for labeling under the bill. It also lacks specifying
a GMO threshold for labeling or any enforcement process should
businesses not follow the law. And, to add insult to injury, the
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will have two
years to write the rule for disclosure requirements. Two years!
In addition to the loopholes, “how” this bill proposes the
mandatory labeling be enforced is what really has the critics
up in arms. It allows companies to disclose GMO ingredients
on food packaging through the use of a smartphone enabled
QR code—an electronic code that must be scanned with your
smartphone to get the information—as if shopping weren’t
cumbersome enough. The bill also allows for disclosure
of the GMO information via 800 numbers or websites—
adding additional steps a consumer needs to take while
shopping to get the information they seek.

Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers
Union said, “The Roberts-Stabenow GMO labeling bill is a sham.
Gaping loopholes in this legislation would exempt many GMO
foods from being labeled, and the labeling is allowed in a form—
a QR code—that many consumers will be unable to access.”
Even more important is the fact that consumers want to know
what is in their food. . .period.
According to a recent Harris Poll, 75 percent of consumers
support labeling legislation, with 80 percent agreeing labeling
should be mandatory. Sarah Simmons, vice president and senior
consultant at The Harris Poll stated, “Food manufacturers would
be wise to deepen their understanding of how these attitudes
could impact their business and what they can do to limit the risk
to their reputation and license to operate.” Consumer advocate
groups are bound and determined to fight this bill in federal
court—so the tug of war continues.
The good news is, some companies are listening to consumers’
demands. Campbell Soup Company, PepsiCo, Mars, Inc., General
Mills, Hershey’s, Unilever and other packaged food giants have
already decided to label their products on a nationwide basis,
so kudos to them. According to Todd Larsen, executive co-director
of Green America and their GMO Inside campaign, “We are now
at the tipping point and with this major momentum, the shift to
non-GMO food is only going to gain more speed.”
We can only hope that others will take the responsible path
and follow suit. If not, you may just need to charge up that
smartphone and plan on spending a lot more time in the grocery
store aisles.
Vol 28 • Extraordinary Health™ 7