Kansas Corn Supports Rep. Pompeo’s Common Sense Food Labeling Bill

Kansas Corn Growers Applaud Rep. Pompeo’s Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Bill

Kansas Representative Mike Pompeo and Rep. G.K. Buttterfield (D-NC) introduced a bipartisan bill today that would create a national, science-based labeling standard for GMO foods. The Kansas Corn Growers Association supports Rep. Pompeo’s efforts and is urging Congress to move swiftly to pass the bill. The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act will guarantee that food labeling is uniform across state lines.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act is a common sense approach to the GMO labeling issue, ensuring the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remains the preeminent authority on food safety and labeling in the United States. In addition, the bill will establish a national, USDA administered, certification program to provide a standard definition for non-GMO foods. Kansas Corn Growers Association board member Kent Moore of Iuka participated in a roundtable discussion on GMO labeling with Congressman Pompeo last year when a similar bill was introduced.

“KCGA continues to support Congressman Pompeo’s common sense effort to create a science-based labeling standard for GMOs,” Moore said. “The FDA is equipped to provide consistent labeling rules instead of a jumble of confusing labeling requirements created by special interests. Scientific research continues to show that GMO foods are safe. Food should be labeled based on facts, not fear.”

GMOs have been proven safe by nearly 2,000 studies from the leading scientific bodies in the world including the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Currently, a growing patchwork of mandatory state labeling laws threatens to harm interstate commerce, drive up the price of food and increase consumer confusion.  Due to the complexity of the American food chain, state-by-state labeling would severely cripple the supply chains of the nation’s food producers The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act will ensure labeling decisions are established by science-based, uniform standards that are consistent in every grocery store in all 50 states.