#SubHealth Reviews Biotechnology in Food

Press Release

The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), today held a hearing to discuss the role biotechnology plays within our nation's farms, food supply, and economy. Members heard from experts about food safety and the issues surrounding consistent national approaches for review and labeling.

Subcommittee members also reviewed bipartisan updates made to H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC). This bill will help provide clarity in food labeling so consumers, states, and food producers have a consistent framework. During the hearing, Pompeo shared a letter from 28 bipartisan members of the House Committee on Agriculture in support of the legislation.

"Our goal here must be to ensure that families in America have access to safe, nutritious, affordable food," said Pompeo. "The reality is that biotechnology time and time again has been proven safe. This is simply not a debatable point. Our policy ought to reflect that and we shouldn't raise the price for consumers."

"It is the job of this subcommittee to establish a record based on the facts and the science so we can ultimately pass legislation that is in the best interests of our constituents and our economy. Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Butterfield have been working tirelessly on a bipartisan basis in putting together a clear and understandable national framework that maintains FDA's current review process, codifies federal labeling standards and related requirements, and establishes a certification process at the Department of Agriculture," Full Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) added.

"FDA officials have repeatedly stated that the agency has no basis for concluding that bioengineered foods are different from other foods in any meaningful way. … Nonetheless, there have recently been a number of state initiatives calling for the mandatory labeling of food products that contain GMOs," said Pitts. "I'm concerned that a patchwork of state labeling schemes would be impractical and unworkable. Such a system would create confusion among consumers and result in higher prices and fewer options."

"The costs and negative impacts of a fifty state patchwork of inconsistent and incoherent standards would be significant," added L. Val Giddings, Senior Fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foudation.

"A uniform, national solution to the labeling of food products derived from ingredients using biotechnology is imperative for the survival of American farms," John Reifsteck, Chairman of the Board of the Board and President of GROWMARK, Inc. explained. "The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act introduced this Congress by Representatives Mike Pompeo and G. K. Butterfield, would ensure that labeling of biotech ingredients in food products is based on consistent standards using sound science."

"The proposed genetic engineering certification and labeling system proposed by H.R. 1599 and the Amendment would be a good step forward. It would require USDA to establish a non-GMO labeling system with uniform definitions and verified label claims," Gregory Jaffe, Biotechnology Project Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest added. "While CSPI believes there is no benefit to consumers from avoiding foods that contain ingredients from GE crops, CSPI understands that some consumers do want to buy such foods. The system that would be implemented at USDA if Congress passed H.R. 1599 would go a long way toward uniform labels with verifiable, non-misleading claims."

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