Feinstein: Mandatory Labeling for Genetically Modified Foods

Poll: 93% of Americans favor labeling of food products; Senator says: “Consumers have the right to know” origin of food Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is urging the Obama administration to mandate the labeling of genetically modified foods and ingredients. In a letter to the president, Feinstein requested a reevaluation of the Food and Drug Administration’s labeling policy for genetically engineered food products. Feinstein wrote: “It is my strong opinion that consumers have the right to know whether their food originates from genetically modified organisms. Your administration should re-evaluate the Food and Drug Administration’s outdated policy that genetically engineered food does not need to disclose this fact on required labels.” Full text of the letter follows: December 19, 2013 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C., 20001 Dear President Obama, I am writing today to urge you to take administrative action to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods and ingredients. It is my strong opinion that consumers have the right to know whether their food originates from genetically modified organisms. Your administration should re-evaluate the Food & Drug Administration’s outdated policy that genetically engineered food does not need to disclose this fact on required labels. It is my view that the FDA does have the authority to require labeling for genetically engineered food products. The Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act (FD&C) prohibits the misbranding of food articles, which includes if a label is “misleading.” The FD&C defines misleading to include a failure to “reveal facts material” about a food product. The FDA has interpreted these provisions in a 1992 statement of policy such that the fact of whether a food product is genetically engineered is not necessarily a material fact that must be provided to consumers. Since 1992, the number and type of genetically engineered foods has vastly changed, including the pending application of the first genetically engineered animal, AquaAdvatage Salmon. It is also clear that consumer interest in whether their food is genetically engineered has increased dramatically, as a poll conducted by the New York Times in July found that 93% of Americans favor GE labeling. Given these facts, I believe that genetic engineering is clearly of material importance to American consumers, and thus the outdated policy position the FDA took over 21 years ago on labeling should be revised. Please act in the best interest of American consumers and use your authority to require labeling of genetically engineered foods. Thank you for your time and consideration of my views. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Dianne Feinstein United States Senator

Secretary Vilsack: A New Farm Bill to Carry On America’s Record Agricultural Trade

A New Farm Bill to Carry On America’s Record Agricultural Trade By Tom Vilsack Over the course of 2013, we’ve seen yet another banner year for U.S. agricultural exports. Exports of U.S. farm and ranch products reached a record $140.9 billion in 2013 and supported about a million U.S. jobs. In fact, compared to the previous five-year period from 2004-2008, U.S. agricultural exports from 2009-2013 increased by a total of nearly $230 billion. All told, the past five years represent the strongest five-year period in our nation’s history for agricultural exports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has focused on two key factors in recent years to help make this success possible. First, an unprecedented effort by USDA and our Federal partners to expand and grow markets around the world. Second, a commitment to make sure our farmers and ranchers have the tools to grow more, even in the face of uncertainty. Thanks to the Farm Bill, particularly the Foreign Market Development Program and Market Access Program, USDA has been able to work with hundreds of U.S. businesses since 2009 to expand trade. We have led more than 150 U.S. agribusinesses on agricultural trade missions and helped more than 1,000 U.S. companies and organizations promote their wares at trade shows around the world. Together, these trade promotion programs yield $35 in economic benefits for every dollar invested. Unfortunately, without a new Farm Bill, these programs can’t continue. The trade promotion programs complement USDA efforts with our Federal partners to expand trade agreements and break down unfair barriers to trade. In the past five years, the Obama Administration has challenged more than 750 sanitary and phytosanitary trade barriers, compared to less than 400 such challenges in the previous five-year period. We’ve also helped achieve new trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, along with equivalency agreements for organic products to Canada, the European Union and Japan. But the Farm Bill stands at the heart of our trade promotion effort, and companies across the nation need a renewed commitment to agricultural trade promotion that only a new Farm Bill can provide. As we have undertaken record efforts to promote U.S. trade, we’re also hard at work here at home to help America’s farmers and ranchers increase their productivity. Since 2009, USDA has provided a record number of farm loans – more than 159,000 – to help farmers get started and keep growing. Additionally, using Farm Bill programs that have since expired, we stepped in to help hundreds of thousands of producers facing disaster. So, in addition to the many trade-related benefits of the Farm Bill, USDA is awaiting passage of this legislation to continue helping farmers and ranchers grow the food needed to drive exports even higher. A new Farm Bill would continue assistance to farm businesses through loans and loan guarantees, while also reauthorizing disaster assistance programs and providing retroactive help to livestock producers who have been hit particularly hard in the past two years. American agriculture has been an economic success story in recent years – growing more despite adversity, sending more food around the world and creating more jobs here at home. There is even more success ahead, but we need a new Farm Bill as soon as possible to keep this record momentum going.