July 7, 2016

We must adopt a meaningful federal GMO labeling standard.

Dear Colleagues,
People have the right to know what is in the food they eat. That is why 64 countries, including
the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia, and China require labeling of foods
containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). That is why states like Vermont, Maine,
Connecticut, and Alaska have adopted laws to label foods containing GMOs. That is why many
environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club,
League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Working Group, Center for Food Safety, Food
and Water Watch, and others support the concept of GMO labeling and oppose the RobertsStabenow bill.
The Roberts-Stabenow bill will undermine the strong GMO labeling law that went into effect on
July 1st in Vermont. It will also undermine the efforts of other states to label GMOs. The
Roberts-Stabenow bill is absolutely unnecessary. As a result of Vermonts law, many major
companies are already labeling their products all over the country. The Roberts-Stabenow bill
contains numerous loopholes, and is totally ineffective in terms of addressing the needs of the
American people who want to know what is in their food. Specifically:

According to the FDA, this bill contains gaping loopholes for many of the most widely
used GMO foods and ingredients like soybean oil, sugar from GMO sugar beets, and
high-fructose corn syrup.

This bill is also inherently flawed because it allows manufacturers to use a digital QR
code, which is confusing to consumers, and can only be accessed with a smart phone and
an internet connection.

The bill allows the USDA to choose what percentage of GMOs are present in a product
before it must be labeled, putting it at odds with the European Union and the Vermont
standards, which are both 0.9%.

Consumers will be left in the dark for at least another two years. Once the USDA has
published its regulations, there is no mandatory timeline for the companies to comply. In
addition, there are no federal penalties for not complying with the law.

Ultimately, this compromise is no compromise at all if the federal government will simply
override states laws on GMO labeling without a meaningful federal standard to replace them.
I urge you to oppose the current Roberts-Stabenow language, and instead support my
comprehensive national labeling amendment, which would provide what nearly 9 out of 10
consumers want. Sanders Amendment No. 4948 would make Vermonts GMO labeling law the
federal law.
I look forward to working together to create a meaningful federal standard through an open
debate and amendment process.
Sincerely,