Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7646 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 stigmatizing genetically engineered products with mandatory on-package labels,” LaVigne said. LaVigne also thinks it’s possible that this compromise might cast the food production industry in a positive light among consumers. “It is certainly encouraging to see such bipartisan, bicameral support from Capitol Hill for American families and farmers, with backing from nearly 1,100 agriculture, food processors, manufac- turers and retailers.” Batra noted the labeling issue was first a state-level issue that got pushed to the national level, because of what was happen- ing in places like California, Washington, Colorado and Oregon, where ballot initiatives sprang to life. Regardless, those develop- ments got consumers talking and researching, she says. “Raising awareness of the issue has prompted more people to seek fact-based information about biotechnology, which is a positive,” she said. Barrett believes consumers will benefit from the new law every time they head to the grocery store, and they count the national-level debate as progress, too. LaVigne said industry leaders are hopeful the labeling com- promise is a sign of more good things to come. “It also sets the stage for a strong collaborative effort as the agriculture community begins to look at reauthorization of the Farm Bill in the coming years,” he said. The issue is far from settled, though. Barrett said the FPA, which ranks members of Congress based on their voting record, will negatively score those who voted in favor of the measure. “Once the bill is law, the debate will move to the USDA for implementation. We will continue to push for transparency in our food system,” she said. SW Barrett believes the bill is a step in the right direction for consumers who want to know about the use of GMOs in their food and strengthens organic labeling standards. Batra said the new law was soundly written and, from all appear- ances, seems to have addressed con- cerns voiced by biotech proponents in relation to mandatory labeling. “The senators did an excellent job on writing this bill that guards against exceptions and loopholes that were writ- ten into laws at the state level,” Batra said. Thanks to flexibility in how those labels can appear on pack- aging, she said it’s not anticipated that food companies will pass additional costs onto consumers. Specific to the seed industry, LaVigne said they are pleased the new law preempts state statutes that would have required GMO labels on seed bags, and they’re confident that innovation won’t be stifled. “More broadly, it protects farmers and small businesses, including seed companies, from a patchwork of costly and con- fusing state labeling laws, while providing consumers with more information than ever before about the foods they buy, without “Raising awareness of the issue has prompted more people to seek fact-based information about biotechnology, which is a positive.” — Karen Batra The new bill requires mandatory disclosure with several options. Some of these options include text on a package, a symbol or a link to a website using a QR code or similar technology. Scan to read more about the labeling law.