Monday, January 21, 2013

GMO labeling law goes to New Mexico legislature

LEGISLATION has been introduced in the New Mexico Senate that would require animal feed and human food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) to be labeled as such. The legislation, introduced by state Sen. Peter Wirth, an attorney from Santa Fe, N.M., would amend the state's feed and food laws. If it passes the Senate, it then would go to the New Mexico House of Representatives. The legislation would require that any product that contains more than 1% by weight of genetically modified material be packaged with a label that's "conspicuous and easily understood by consumers." Genetically modified material is described as a substance that has been modified through the use of bioengineering or genetic engineering. Regulations for enforcement would be developed by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board. Wirth, a Democrat, said the bill's premise "is simple: New Mexicans deserve the right to know what's in the food they are eating and feeding their families." The bill would give people the "basic information" needed to decide what kinds of food they want to buy, he said. Wirth said he introduced the bill after being approached to do so by the environmental activist group Food & Water Watch. The legislation is one of several state-based initiatives seeking to require the labeling of feed and food that have GMOs in them...more

So how is the livestock industry going to respond to this?  After all, they supported Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL) based on the same premises.

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