A couple years back I wrote here about Truth in food labeling and said:

Ideally labels should have the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That is, they should at a minimum tell you everything added to the food and in addition have other information (organic,, genetically modified, etc) to the extent practical. Obviously, there will not be room enough to tell you everything but let’s aim to have everything a reasonable consumer might look for.

I was more concerned about the addition of undisclosed ingredients to food but the same principal should apply to genetically-modified or GM foods. I don’t think there is much evidence that there is a safety issue with genetically engineered foods but I think consumers should be able to identify those products they wish to avoid.

For reasons I do not understand the FDA has not required such labels. Several states have acted to require GM food labels.

The House of Representatives has recently passed H.R.1599 – Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015.

The bill seems not to be about safety or accuracy. Indeed it seems rather pro-industry and anti-consumer.

Industry would be allowed to declare the safety of its genetic modifications to food and the FDA could not dispute the declaration. That seems very unsafe to me.

How can leaving out information be considered a form of accuracy?

The FDA has not required genetic modification information on labels. If this is made law, they could not change that policy.

States could not require the genetic modification information on food labels.

If this become law, Truth in food labeling, at least as far as GM foods goes is defeated at both that state and federal levels.

The act has been called “Deny Americans the Right to Know” Act or DARK Act. Perhaps it could also be called “The Unsafe and Inaccurate Food Labeling Act of 2015”.

The next step is the Senate so let your Senators know how you feel about truth in food labeling and the DARK Act (aka “The Unsafe and Inaccurate Food Labeling Act of 2015”).