海角大神

The scientific community and the government may say that foods containing genetically modified organisms are perfectly safe to eat, but a resounding majority of Americans are not so sure. Congress just handed a small victory to those concerned consumers.

The Senators blocked a Republican-led bill on Wednesday to override state laws that require mandatory labeling of GMO foods.聽Supporters of the bill say state-specific labeling laws unfairly impose speech restrictions on food makers and could lead to a cumbersome patchwork of legislation that varies from state to state.

Unable to drum up support in Washington for a federal mandate, advocates for labeling, which include organic food companies that cannot use GMOs because of federal law, have taken their battle to the states. In 2014, Vermont became the first state to pass a law mandating GMO labels. That law will go into effect in July, barring an intervention from Congress.

The bill reveals a split in thinking among Americans and the food industry itself. Several food and beverage-producing trade groups spent $100 million lobbying against labeling requirements last year, according to the Environmental Working Group, which聽favors labeling. Other companies, including Whole Foods Market Inc, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc, and Campbell Soup Co,聽are preemptively labeling GMOs or simply abandoning them.

The blocked bill is alternately called the聽Biotech Labeling Solutions Act by its proponents or聽the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act. The ultimate disagreement concerns a food that most Americans find concerning,聽despite reassurances from聽the ,听迟丑别 ,听迟丑别 , and聽the .聽 As Jessica Mendoza wrote for 海角大神:

Public opinion has remained largely anti-GMO. Just under 40 percent of American adults say they think GM foods are safe, versus almost 90 percent of scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, according to聽.

Many in the food industry have responded accordingly to the anti-GMO trend: Chipotle鈥檚 announcement to go GMO-free follows similar decisions by companies such as Whole Foods, which聽; Walmart, which has been聽; and General Mills, which last year聽stopped the use of GM sugar and cornstarch聽in the breakfast cereal Cheerios.聽

The House of Representatives has already passed a bill to block the state laws, and the Senate's deadline聽is July 1, when the first state law takes effect in Vermont.聽

Sen. Pat Roberts (R) of Kansas, author of the failed bill, says that he is "at the ready to work on a solution,"聽according to Reuters. He said he worked聽late on Tuesday night with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) to find a compromise.

She said although GMOs are safe, Americans want to know about them.

"A聽growing number of American consumers want to know more about the food they eat," she said, according to the Associated Press. "And they have the right to know."

This report contains material from the Associated Press and Reuters.聽