One of the strangest, most convoluted policy fights in the history of modern food just cleared a major hurdle last month with the President’s expected signature of the GMO Labeling agreement between Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Roberts and Stabenow, Chair and Ranking Member, respectively of the Senate Agriculture Committee, forged the ultimately successful agreement that ensures consumers have access to desired information about their food while avoiding a confusing complex of state labeling laws.
With 20-20 hindsight, one can second guess all day the initial strategy that propelled the legal and legislative process that led to passing legislation to require labeling of foods containing biotech ingredients. Despite the contentions of the small but vocal group of activists, labeling changes of any kind are extremely complicated, fraught with legal ramifications, and costly. At the end of day, garnering a federal pre-emption for the four state GMO labeling bills already in place and the potential 28 additional labeling requirements was a critically important achievement.
I want to share my five takeaways:
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