(AREA) — In a late-morning conference call Thursday with leaders from across Michigan’s agriculture industry, Senator Debbie Stabenow previewed the Senate Agriculture Committee’s proposal for a national labeling system identifying foods including genetically-modified organisms or GMO’s. The proposal calls for a mandatory labeling program that would provide consumers with three options for learning more about the exact content of purchased food products with on-pack symbols, on-pack words, and electronic labels. The bill would immediately preempt state-level GMO-labeling laws by creating a national, mandatory system to be developed and implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture within 2-years. Agriculture industry leaders on the conference call were mostly enthusiastic about the proposal. Farm Bureau’s position on the measure has yet to be determined by the organization’s national-level board of directors. The full Senate could vote on the measure as early as next week.
