[June 24, 2016]

BIO Welcomes Senate Agreement on GMO Labeling

Senate leaders announced today an agreement on legislative language aimed at establishing national standards for GMO food labeling and disclosure.

"The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) welcomes the Senate's carefully crafted, bipartisan legislative agreement to finally move our country forward on the GMO disclosure issue," said Jim Greenwood, BIO's President and CEO. "We commend Senate Agriculture Committee leadership for making the issue a priority in this Congressional session."

BIO urges immediate action towards moving the bill forward.

"It is essential that the Congress - both the Senate and the House - act immediately to pass the Roberts-Stabenow agreement and send it to the President for his signature. Vermont's mandatory GMO food labeling law goes into effect on July 1, and it is already generating chaos in the marketplace."

The Senate agreement will provide consumers with consistent and reliable information about bioengineered food. At the same time, the agreement will protect against confusion created by a state-by-state patchwork of requirements and avoid stigmatizing GMO technology, which has been repeatedly proven to be as safe as traditional food technologies.

"The time for Congressional action is now. Our government leaders must capture this moment to resolve the GMO labeling issue at a national level once and for all," urged Greenwood. "The American food system and consumers will be better off for it."

About BIO

BIO is the world's largest trade association representig biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIOtechNOW is BIO's blog chronicling "innovations transforming our world" and the BIO Newsletter is the organization's bi-weekly email newsletter. Subscribe to the BIO Newsletter.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO Animal Biotech Summit
September 21-23, 2016
Bethesda, MD

BIO Investor Forum
October 18-19, 2016
San Francisco, CA (News - Alert)

BIO Latin America Conference
October 26-28, 2016
Grand Hyatt São Paulo, Brazil

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