Blumenthal: Defeat of Misguided GMO Legislation is a Victory for American Consumers

Statement

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today issued the following statement in response to the Senate voting against legislation that would have undermined state GMO-labeling laws and thwarted mandatory labeling efforts.

"The Senate's decision today to vote down this misguided GMO legislation is a victory for American consumers. This deceitful legislation was a brazen attack on a on a very important, basic consumer right: the right to know what is in your food. The right to know what you're putting in your body. The right to know what you are serving on your children's plate. This legislation would have undermined strong state GMO-labeling laws, like Connecticut's, and thwarted efforts to ensure consumers have access to basic, on-package information about their food. The American people have overwhelmingly called for mandatory GMO labeling, and now it is time for us to take up commonsense legislation to provide a strong mandatory on-package GMO labeling standard."

Blumenthal is a cosponsor of the Biotechnology Food Labeling Uniformity Act, which would require manufacturers to disclose the presence of genetically modified ingredients on the Nutrition Facts Panel. Last year, Blumenthal introduced the Genetically Engineered Right to Know Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clearly label genetically engineered foods so that consumers can make informed choices about what they eat, as well as the Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015 to empower consumers to make smart eating choices by minimizing confusing and misleading information that consumers encounter on food packages.

Source