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Chellie Pingree Speaks Out Against Bill Overturning GMO Labeling

WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District is criticizing a bill in Washington which seeks to overturn state GMO labeling laws.

"Consumers have a right to know what's in their food, they want to know what's in their food," she says.

Pingree, flanked by executives from Ben & Jerry's, Stonyfield Farm, Patagonia and Chipotle, said on Wednesday that there's no real argument against the labeling of genetically modified foods. She says labels today contain a wealth of information designed to allow consumers freedom of choice.

"If orange juice is made from concentrate, it has to say so on the label in letters half as tall as the name of the juice," she says. "OK, if that is essential information, then why don't consumers have the right to know this on their label?"

Pingree also says that the increased planting of GMO crops has led to an upswing in the use of herbicides such as glyphosate, the main chemical in Roundup. This, she says, has had impacts on butterfly habitat. And there's evidence that the humans may be impacted as well.

"Now there are concerns being raised that glyphosate is a possible carcinogen showing up in food that uses GMO ingredients," she says. "So there are a lot of concerns about this and consumers have the right to make that choice."

The bill, sponsored by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, would trump GMO labeling laws already passed by states such as Vermont and Maine. It also blocks any future federal or state requirements about listing GMO ingredients.

Pompeo says the bill brings needed consistency to food labeling, and protects a highly efficient food system that is already safe; opponents say consumers should have a right to know and make their own decisions about whether or not to consume GMO products.

Proponents of GMO say such crops are safe, use less water and fewer pesticides than traditional crops, and cut food costs by up to 30 percent.

In 2014, Maine became the second state to pass a GMO disclosure law, but it doesn't go into effect until neighboring states follow suit.

Recent surveys have found that 88 percent of Americans support labeling of GMO products.