Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture approved legislation introduced by Chairman Pat Roberts that will provide for permanent federal preemption of state food labeling laws.
The bill was reported favorably out of committee by a vote of 14 to 6 and now awaits a full vote on the Senate floor. The National Potato Council (NPC) praises Chairman Roberts and his committee colleagues for advancing this legislation.
This measure would give consumers, businesses and farmers uniform standards based on federal determination of food label requirements for all foods including those made with genetically modified organisms (GMO). A patchwork of state food labeling laws will increase costs to consumers by increasing processing and packaging costs. Enacting a national voluntary food labeling standard would eliminate those consequences in the marketplace. The committee’s approval comes at a critical time with the Vermont mandatory labeling law set to take effect in July.
“U.S. potato growers are happy to see this legislation move forward,” said NPC Executive Vice President, John Keeling. “We are confident that both sides of the aisle in the Senate will reach a bipartisan compromise on any of the remaining issues.”
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The National Potato Council is the advocate for the economic well-being of U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues. NPC supports the U.S. potato industry by monitoring issues affecting the strength and viability of the potato industry, influencing regulators and legislators on issues crucial to the industry's long term success, ensuring fair market access for potatoes and potato products, and bringing the unique issues and interests of diverse growing regions in the U.S. together on a national level.
Source: The National Potato Council