McGovern: Americans Want GMO Labeling and Congress Should Listen

McGovern Urges House to Defeat H.R. 1599, Calls for National GMO Labeling to Give Americans the Facts About Which Foods Have GMOs

Worcester, MA, July 22, 2015

Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), a senior House Democrat and Ranking Member on the House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee, led the floor debate for House Democrats on the rule on H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. Video here.

Today’s debate comes on the heels of Congressman McGovern’s Boston Globe op-ed with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01), which calls for making GMO labeling mandatory across the country to create one national standard. Read the Boston Globe op-ed here.

Excerpts from Congressman McGovern’s floor speech today:

“At the center of the debate about this bill is Americans’ fundamental right to know what’s in the food they eat and how it’s grown. I believe people ought to have that right. Plain and simple.

“This isn’t a debate about the science behind GMOs…[W]hether you love GMOs or hate them, you ought to know if the food that you’re feeding your family is made from them.

“Americans have told us loud and clear that they want to know what’s in their food. Poll after poll indicates widespread support for labeling GMOs…[T]o the supporters of HR 1599 – I would simply ask, “What are you afraid of? Why is giving the American people more information about their food such a bad idea?’”

“So let me suggest to my colleagues a radical idea: Give the American people what they want.”

The full text of Congressman McGovern’s floor speech is below. Watch full video here.

As Prepared For Delivery:

“I rise today to strongly oppose H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, one of the most misnamed pieces of legislation I think we’ve considered this year.  

“I believe at the center of the debate about this bill is Americans’ fundamental right to know what’s in the food they eat and how it’s grown. I believe people ought to have that right. Plain and simple.

“This isn’t a debate about the science behind GMOs. That’s a separate debate. But whether you love GMOs or hate them, you ought to know if the food that you’re feeding your family is made from them.

“The Food and Drug Administration requires labeling of thousands of ingredients, additives and processes, many of which have nothing to do with safety or nutrition. For example, the FDA requires mandatory labeling of juice when it’s from concentrate. Food labels are a simple and reliable way to tell people what’s in their food and how it’s made.

“Americans have told us loud and clear that they want to know what’s in their food. Poll after poll indicates widespread support for labeling GMOs. A recent poll by The Mellman Group found that 91 percent are in favor of labeling with 81 percent saying they “strongly” prefer GMO labeling. Support for labeling cuts across party identification, gender, age – you name it.

“And three states – Vermont, Maine and Connecticut – have listened to their citizens and passed laws requiring that GMO foods be labeled. And dozens more are considering similar initiatives, including my home state of Massachusetts.

“Now, I understand the concern with 50 different states passing 50 different state labeling laws. I get it. That’s why I support mandatory GMO labeling. We need a national standard that eliminates confusion and puts the American people in charge.

“But, unfortunately, the bill before us only adds to the confusion. It codifies the existing voluntary labeling system for GMO foods that hasn’t worked and hasn’t provided consumers the information they want. It preempts states from responding to consumer demand and requiring GMO labeling and it invalidates state laws already in place. And, it continues to allow foods that contain GMOs to be labeled as ‘natural’ despite the fact that 60 percent of Americans believe that “natural” means GMO-free.

“I have a stack of letters here from a variety of organizations opposed to H.R. 1599 – the National Farmers Union – representing family farmers and ranchers across the country, the Consumers Union, National Black Farmers, and 125 CEOs and business leaders from Massachusetts and across the country including:

  • Whole Foods Market Co-CEO Walter Robb
  • Chipotle CEO and Chairman Steve Ells
  • Clif Bar Inc. CEO Kevin Cleary
  • Newman’s Own Organics Co-Founder Nell Newman,
  • Panera Bread Inc. CEO Ron Shaich
  • Patagonia Inc. CEO Rose Marcario
  • American Sustainable Business Council CEO and Cofounder David Levine
  • Sweetgreen Inc. Co-Founder Nicolas Jammet
  • Chef and Founder of the Think Food Group José Andrés
  • Craft Hospitality CEO and well-known chef Tom Colicchio, and many, many others.

“The supporters H.R. 1599 oppose mandatory GMO labeling, claiming that GMO labeling would increase food prices for consumers. This is just, simply untrue. I want to read a section of a letter from the CEO of Ben and Jerry’s that proves that point:

‘As an ice cream company that operates in more than 30 countries, many of which require mandatory GMO labeling, we are not swayed by arguments that mandatory labeling will be expensive. The truth is, we regularly make changes, sometimes big, sometimes small to our packaging.

‘Every year, we make changes to between 25% and 50% of our packaging. Over the last 7 years, we've gone through three full line redesigns. In other words, we have changed the packaging on every single pint in our product line as a matter of normal business. I can tell you unequivocally that changing labels does not require us raise the price of our products. Lots of things impact the cost a consumer pays for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Label changes are not one.’

“It seems to me that adding a label to indicate that a product that contains GMOs ought to be pretty straightforward.

“So, to the supporters of HR 1599 – I would simply ask, “What are you afraid of? Why is giving the American people more information about their food such a bad idea?’”

“Perhaps supporters of keeping the American people in the dark believe that if consumers know that GMOs are in their food, they won’t buy them. I don’t believe that to be the case. I, myself, consume GMO foods, my family does, and we will continue to do so even if there is a label. But that’s my choice.

“H.R. 1599 really is a “Washington Knows Best” approach. This is the epitome of a “Washington Knows Best” approach. It says: ‘We don’t care what people want. We don’t care what people think. We politicians in Washington, we know best.’ I gotta tell you something, that’s why people hate Congress. That’s why people are frustrated with Congress. They don’t think we listen.

“So let me suggest to my colleagues a radical idea – and brace yourselves, because this is a really, really radical idea: Give the American people what they want.”

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