In a recent letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, twenty-two House Democrats urged the department to finalize a federal rule and replace current state [GMO] regulations they say are too weak to protect consumers.
“As your department moves forward with implementation, we believe it is critical that USDA create guidelines that include all GMO foods and ensure GMO information is available to all Americans,” the letter said.
Under a GMO labeling law signed by then-President Barack Obama last year, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has two years to establish standards for how companies disclose food products that have genetically engineered ingredients.
Consumer advocates hailed the 2016 law establishing nationwide GMO labeling standards. But now those advocates and many lawmakers are worried the Trump administration will approve weak standards. Regulators are slated to release the rule in February 2017.
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Lawmakers also urged the USDA to finalize the mandatory standards by the July 28, 2018 deadline.
The USDA has already pushed back its timeline, seeking additional comments from the public.
An agency spokesperson told The Hill that it plans to publish a proposed rule on the standards this fall for public comment, with the goal to have a final National Bioengineered Food Disclosure rule ready for publication by the July 2018 deadline.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Dems push for tough GMO labeling rule
