Blumenthal Wants Repeal Of New Federal GMO Law, Calls It Unfair To Consumers

HARTFORD – A new federal law on labeling of foods containing GMOs — genetically modified organisms — is "fundamentally anti-consumer" and needs to be repealed, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Thursday.

The new law preempts state efforts to require all GMO foods to be clearly labeled and means that state laws passed by Vermont and Connecticut are dead. But Blumenthal's plan to introduce a repeal bill in Congress is certain to face major roadblocks and opposition from the food industry and Big Agriculture.

The federal compromise legislation that passed Congress and was signed by President Obama last month allows the food industry to use bar codes, websites and telephone call sites to give consumers information about GMOs in a product.

Many consumer advocates agree with Blumenthal that the federal law allows food producers too many loopholes. But industry spokesmen insist that the new law does allow consumers to find out if a particular item has GMOs, and they point out that many producers are now voluntarily labeling their products as GMO-free.

Read more: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-gmo-repeal-call-20160811-story.html