Over the years, polls and other feedback have shown that the American public wants GMO labelling on their food. It’s obvious that people want to make informed choices for themselves and their families about what they consume.
So a mandatory scheme would seem obvious, but despite this, senators including the senior Republican Mike Pompeo, introduced the Safe And Accurate Food Labelling Act 2015 back in March of that year.
It would create a completely voluntary federal GMO labelling standard. At the same time though, it would prevent states from passing their own GMO labelling laws, including mandatory schemes.
As you can see, that’s ridiculous, because not only does it deny the state’s Freedom of legislation, but it means that GMO labelling across the entire USA will be a voluntary declaration on the contents being GMO, with no way to make it mandatory.
This Is What Nutritional Anarchy Reported In 2014
Back in 2014, we reported on this. What we linked at the time was that the bill had close ties to the biotech giant Monsanto, as well as Koch Industries.
Pompeo also has links these companies, which makes the whole thing stinks. As we reported then, the bill would include a “prohibition against mandatory labelling”, which echoes public interest groups out there who have tried to shut down the public’s “right to know”.
Koch industries donated at least $104,000 to Pompeo during the 2014 election campaign, so surprise surprise that this bill has now been submitted as it is.
Prior to that, in 2011, Pompeo got $115,000 from them, and in 2010, he was the largest single recipient of campaign funds from Koch.
Why Would Mike Pompeo Push So Hard To Get This Legislation Through?
As Mike Pompeo has already got the money, then you might be wondering why he would be pushing so hard to get this legislation through.
Perhaps Mike Pompeo is just hugely passionate about free will in GMO food labelling?
All just maybe, discussions have been had about future funding around this becoming law, so that GMO labelling can be obfuscated in some way, hiding what’s going into our food to the benefit of the large manufacturers and biotech industry. Sounds to me like Pompeo is basically in the employment of these people.
What Would Happen If This Bill Is Passed?
Back in 2015 I asked the question: what will happen if this bill is passed?
Let me update you in 2020 to tell you that the law was passed in 2017. GMO food labelling is now a federal requirement, but it is only voluntary.
The act requires all companies with more than 5% GMO ingredients in their products to voluntarily label them as “bioengineered” using a standard seal icon.
However, some good news on this front. The law was modified so that in 2022 it becomes a legal requirement. Basically, they couldn’t get it through Congress and less they put in a future clause on full legality. So although Pompeo and his acolytes got things their own way for a few years, in 2022, that will change and everything the 5% or more GMO ingredients in it will have to be labelled as such.
What’s The Current Situation With GMO Labelling In The USA?
So right now, the situation is still voluntary. You may see that seal on some products, but you can bet your bottom dollar that on products from a lot of companies you won’t. They might declare on the ingredients, but you’ll have to scrutinize them.
In fact, it’s not even a legal requirement until 2022 to actually list the GMO products on the packaging. Ostensibly, that’s to help small companies who might find it too expensive to continually update labelling.
But you do have to supply a phone number, or an Internet URL which will provide all the information you want on the GMO products in the product you bought. However, for most people, that’s not going to be a lot of good for products they are thinking about buying an hour standing in the supermarket looking at them.
But the great news is that in 2022 it will become a legal requirement. That’s a win for people like us who have been pushing for years to try and get this made statutory.
However, one gaping exception is restaurants. The law does not cover GMO ingredients in restaurants. It is not law to state on your menu where GMO food is being used. For us, that’s a big issue still needs to be resolved.
Another problem, albeit on a smaller scale, is that small independent manufacturers do not have to abide by this law. Up to a certain threshold, a company can create and sell products that do have GMO ingredients not declare it. We are talking cottage industry here, people who make things and then sell them in a local farm shop, or in a few local stores.
However, it is a problem, because if you add all those very small companies together, that is literally millions of consumable products every year that are not GMO labeled.
As we predicted back in 2015, GMO ingredients are still going to be obfuscated because they can link to a phone number or URL rather than stating clearly on the packaging.
Where Do We Go From Here With Food Labelling?
We have made strides towards fair and mandatory GMO labelling on food in the USA. It puts us in line with many European countries who have gone a lot further already, or at least it will in 2022.
However, the restaurant problem is a huge one considering how many people eat out in the USA every single day.
You have to also look at other supplements. A lot of supplements are consumed are not covered by the FDA, and are not covered by GMO labelling laws.
However, most supplements out there, things like bodybuilding supplements, and nutritional supplements, are mostly not modified anyway, they come from natural ingredients which are bundled together in the correct proportions get the maximum synergy and results.
But it’s still a grey area, and we are hoping that progress is made for statutory GMO labelling across all consumable products in the USA in the next few years. That’s certainly what we are pushing for here and nutritional anarchy, and many other organizations around the USA are also pushing for the same thing.