National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, people shouldn't have to jump through hoops to know what is in their food. That is really what this issue is all about.

When we go the grocery store, the very first thing that you do is you pick up whatever it is you are looking at and you read the label to see if it contains products or ingredients or things that you want to eat or that you want to feed your family.

Nearly 90 percent of Americans have called for this clear, simple, direct labeling of foods that have been either genetically engineered or modified. They support this very simple concept that we have a right to know what is in the food we eat; yet the GMO bill that we are voting on today is very misleading.

Proponents will say that this is a labeling bill, but it is not really about the right to know. It actually creates an illusion of transparency, while making things more difficult for consumers, not easier.

This is, as we have heard earlier, exactly what people hate about Washington, that we pretend to solve a problem when, actually, we are just making things harder and more confusing for the American people.

If this bill is really, truly intended to expand consumers' right to know, why not require a simple, uniform food labeling standard that is clear, straightforward, and easy to read?

Instead of doing that, this bill creates a system of electronic codes, symbols, and text that are intentionally confusing to consumers, making them work harder to try to get access to information that should be readily available to them. Additionally, this bill lacks any enforcement measure to hold companies accountable if they don't comply with labeling requirements.

This bill has raised concerns from the FDA over the bill's narrow definition of genetic engineering that leaves common foods without any labeling requirement at all.

So let's stop pretending that S. 764 does anything but create confusion, making it harder for the American people to know what is in their food. This is exactly the opposite of what they are calling for.

Sixty-four countries around the world have already required labeling of genetically modified foods, like the EU, Australia, Japan, and many others, and this is what we are calling for today. For here, in the United States, we must have one uniform national labeling standard that is simple, clear, and makes it easier for consumers to make their own informed decisions about the food that they are eating.

I have cosponsored H.R. 913, introduced by my colleague, Pete DeFazio, which would do just that. The bill passed by the Senate and the bill before us today is a bad bill that does not serve the best interests of the American people. That is why I strongly oppose this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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