Rogers / 3 Senator Llanos

S.B._____

A BILL
To mandate genetically modified food labeling in the U.S.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the GMO Labelling Act of 2015.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
A) An estimated 60-70 percent of processed foods in the United States contain genetically engineered ingredients.
B) A 2003 poll by ABC news showed that, "huge majorities of Americans favor mandatory labeling 92 percent
for genetically modified foods, and 85 percent for food from farm animals that have been fed hormones or
antibiotics."
C) Currently, 64 countries have required labeling of genetically modified foods.
D) a 2012 Mellman Group poll found that 91 percent of American consumers wanted GMOs labeled; and, according
to a recent CBS/New York Times poll, 53 percent of consumers said they would not buy food that has been
genetically modified.
E) For religious or ethical reasons, some Americans may want to avoid eating certain products that may be
introduced by genetically modified methods.
F) Another study involved 30 pregnant and 39 nonpregnant women in Quebec and their exposure to pesticides
associated with GE foods, including Cry1Ab, an insecticidal toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that is
introduced to some GE crops to confer pest resistance, the researchers detected Cry1Ab in 93 percent of pregnant
women tested, 80 percent of their fetuses, and 69 percent of nonpregnant women tested; citing other studies that
found trace amounts of Cry1Ab in the gastrointestinal contents of livestock fed genetically engineered corn, the
authors suggest the toxin may not be effectively eliminated in humanspotentially a concern for the vulnerable fetus
and that eating contaminated meat may pose a risk of exposure.
G) During the 1990s many of the FDAs own scientists warned that genetic modified was different than traditional
breeding and posed special risks of introducing new toxins or allergens, but these warnings were not heeded.
H) Several National Academy of Sciences studies have affirmed that genetically modified crops have the potential to
introduce new toxins or allergens into our food and environment.
I) Unlike the strict safety evaluations for approval of new drugs, there are no mandatory human clinical trials of
genetically modified crops, no tests for carcinogenicity or harm to fetuses, no long-term testing for neurological
health risks, no requirement for long-term testing on animals, and limited assessment of the potential to trigger new
food allergies.
J) The United States governments approval of these crops has been based almost exclusively on studies conducted
or funded by the chemical companies who own these patented crops to prove that GMO food is substantially
equivalent to its non-GMO counterpart.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The GMO Labelling Act of 2015 shall enforce the labelling of genetically modified food products for consumers.
All inspections will take place at the food processing plant where food will be tested before processing and
packaging to food markets.
B) The Food and Drug Administration will be responsible for ensuring the labeling of genetically modified food will
be funded through the FDAs annual budget.
C) Products that do not pass inspection will be required to bear a GMO label for the knowledge of the consumers.
This bill shall be enacted on January 1, 2016 and will be renewed every 2 years.