Today Colorado’s Jared Polis will announce, outside a reborn organic retail store in Boulder, that he is introducing a federal bill in Congress to mandate the labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms in all 50 states.
And next Tuesday, the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee will hold a public hearing on state House Bill (HB) 0903, setting disclosure and labeling requirements for GMO foods. A similar bill was introduced in Iowa, and Washington State’s Initiative 522 is still moving along.
A battle in Congress over uniform labeling of genetic changes to food would be bigger and more costly than even last November’s initiative campaign in California. Whether Rep. Polis (D-Boulder) can turn his bill into more than just a district press event with a big donor, remains to be seen.