Voluntary GMO Labeling Bill in the Works, Source

Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo is expected to introduce legislation, which would layout the framework for a voluntary system for food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) to be labeled.

News of Pompeo’s intensions was leaked by an industry source that allegedly has knowledge of the plan. This was first reported in The Hill, a Washington DC based publication.

The bill will reportedly be backed by a coalition of industry groups including the Grocery Manufactures Association. Interestingly, the legislation will include language which includes “probation against mandatory labeling.”

Under the proposed legislation, it would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to create a new voluntary GMO labeling system. If the bill is successful, it would require the FDA to put forward regulations within the next two years.

However, some consumer advocacy groups would prefer to see a mandatory labeling system in place, not a voluntary measure. These consumer groups argue that the public has the “right to know” what is in their food.

Pompeo is a member of the Kansas Republican Party.