“Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.” – Lewis Carroll

Yesterday (February 3, 2016), the Senate Ag Committee met, again, to discuss what to do about a federal standard for GMO labeling. 

Once again, Monsanto, Big Food and their devoted politicians in Washington D.C., engaged in another round of hand-wringing over what they claim will amount to doomsday for food companies: having to comply with Vermont’s GMO labeling law, by July 1.

The argument they love to put forth is this: Requiring food companies to comply with state laws requiring mandatory labeling of GMOs will result in a nightmare of confusion and costs.

The solution they put forth is this: a voluntary federal labeling law, preferably involving QR codes.

The question we ask, over and over again: If you’re that concerned about slight variations in state GMO labeling laws, why not just pass a mandatory federal labeling law that meets or exceeds Vermont’s standards? That’s what consumers want. That’s what the citizens in more than 60 other countries already have.

Instead, we hear the same old refrain. 

This, from Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), quoted by PoliticoPro :

“You can see that asking for more time [to work on a compromise], I don’t know if that gets anything done or not given the strong feelings on both sides. But we are going to have to come together or we are going to have a wrecking ball in the food industry.”

And this recent statement, from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA): 

“Further on food labeling, NASDA supports ‘a voluntary, federal system so as to avoid a patchwork of state-by-state standards’ for foods ‘containing or not containing’ genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

It defies logic. Unless, of course, your real intent is to protect Monsanto and Big Food by legally sanctioning their right to deceive consumers.

If the real concern is a state patchwork, the solution is clear. A mandatory federal standard solves the problem. 

We believe states should have the right to pass their own GMO labeling laws. If the federal government is willing to pass a uniform mandatory labeling law, that meets or exceeds Vermont’s standards, we could support that.

On the issue of voluntary vs. mandatory? No compromise.

TAKE ACTION: Demand Mandatory Labeling of GMOs–Not Voluntary Labeling or QR Codes!

Text “LabelGMOs” to 97779 to join OCA’s mobile network and take action!

Tweet your Senators: @(add your Senator’s twitter handle): I want a mandatory, not voluntary GMO labeling law! #LabelGMOs #RightToKnow