Title
Urging the Pennsylvania delegation to the United States Senate to oppose any attempt to limit the ability of States to require labeling of GMO foods.
Body
WHEREAS, Residents of Philadelphia have the right to know whether the foods they purchase were produced with genetic engineering so they can make informed purchasing decisions. Labeling is necessary to ensure that consumers are fully and reliably informed about the products they purchase and consume; and
WHEREAS, Consumers overwhelmingly favor knowing whether the food they purchase and consume is produced with genetic engineering for a variety of reasons including health, economic, environmental, religious and ethical reasons. Polls consistently show that the vast majority of the public, more than 90%, wants to know if its food was produced with genetic engineering; and
WHEREAS, There is currently no federal requirement that genetically engineered (GMO) foods be labeled. In contrast, over 60 countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, Russia, Malaysia, the European Union member states and other key U.S. trading partners, already have laws mandating the disclosure of GMO ingredients on food labels. In 2011, Codex Alimentarius, the food standards organization of the United Nations, stated that governments are free to decide on whether and how to label foods produced with genetic engineering; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require or conduct safety studies of GMO foods. Instead, any safety consultations are voluntary, and GMO food developers may decide what information to provide to the agency. Market approval of genetically engineered food is based on industry research alone. There have been no long-term or epidemiological studies in the U.S. that examine the safety of human consumption of genetically engineered foods; and
WHEREAS, Mandatory identification of foods produced with genetic engineering can provide a method for detecting the pot...
Click here for full text