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This bill would create a nationwide, uniform system for reviewing and labeling genetically engineered foods (aka genetically modified organisms or GMOs) before they go to market. In response to contentious efforts by nearly 30 states to implement their own labeling regulations, this bill establishes federal labeling standards that preempt all state and local laws on the matter.

Products containing GMOs would not be required to have a label unless the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decides that labeling is necessary for public health reasons or to avoid misleading statements. Direct or implied claims that foods made with GMOs are safer would be prohibited. Businesses would be allowed to voluntarily add labeling to products that were made with GMOs to differentiate them from comparable foods.

The FDA would be required to conduct a safety review of all new plant varieties used for genetically engineered foods before they are made commercially available. It would also establish a public website where information about genetically engineered plants intended for use in food could be accessed.

If the FDA believes it is necessary to require special labeling to protect health and safety, it would have the authority to establish those requirements. The FDA would also oversee a new legal framework governing label claims related to the absence or use of GMOs in food.

This bill also tasks the FDA with developing a definition of “natural” for claims on product labels that the federal government could use in regulating those products. An accreditation and certification process would be established within the USDA for businesses that would like to label their products as GMO-free — similar to the way organic products are currently certified.

","official_title":"To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to food produced from, containing, or consisting of a bioengineered organism, the labeling of natural foods, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015\n\nTITLE I--FOOD SAFETY AFFIRMATION FOR CERTAIN PLANT PRODUCTS\n\nSubtitle A--Food and Drug Administration\n\n(Sec. 101) This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue the voluntary consultation process established under the FDA’s \"Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties.\" In that process, the FDA evaluates a scientific and regulatory assessment provided by the developer of a food produced from, containing, or consisting of a plant that is a genetically engineered organism (GMO).\n\nThe FDA may require a GMO food to have a label that informs consumers of a material difference between the GMO food and a comparable food if the disclosure is necessary to protect public health and safety or to prevent the label from being false or misleading. The use of a GMO does not, by itself, constitute a material difference.\n\nSubtitle B--Department of Agriculture\n\n(Sec. 111) ...","summarized":true,"cost":4000000,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost a total of about $4 million over the 2016-2020 period. It would also increase both direct spending and revenues by an estimated $1 million each annually, and as a result its net impact on the federal budget would be negligible.","impact":"Anyone who eats, advocates for and against GMO labeling, food and agricultural businesses that must comply with the regulations, states that would otherwise enact their own differing GMO labeling regulations, and the FDA.","argument_for":"National labeling standards would level the playing field for producers by avoiding a costly state-by-state patchwork of labeling regulations. This bill also gives consumers more information about their food and could save them over $500 per year.","argument_against":"Preventing states from keeping or enacting GMO labeling regulations that are stronger than the new federal standards ignores public opinion in places that want strict requirements. 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Should GMOs be Labeled on a Case by Case Basis — Determined by the FDA?