Milling & Baking News - July 21, 2015 - 14

Washington X

House agriculture committee gives
nod to food labeling proposal
WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Agriculture on July 14 approved H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015.
The bill, which was introduced in
March by Representatives Mike
Pompeo of Kansas and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, has evolved
through bipartisan discussions between the Agriculture Committee
and the Committee on Energy and
Commerce Committee.
The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act is designed to prevent
individual states from passing legislation requiring the labeling of food
and beverage products that contain
bioengineered ingredients.
"I appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Energy and Commerce
Committee in getting this bipartisan
legislation completed and approved
today," said Representative K. Michael Conaway of Texas, chairman
of the House Agriculture Committee. "H.R. 1599 is the solution to an
urgent and growing problem. The
current patchwork system of varied
labels interferes with the free flow
of goods across the country, posing
a real threat to interstate commerce
and typically results in inconsistent
and confusing information for consumers. Creating a uniform national
policy regarding biotechnology labeling is the free market solution
that will allow consumers access
to meaningful information, create
market opportunities for those on
the production and processing side,

and will facilitate future innovation."
Representative Rodney Davis,
chairman of the Subcommittee on
Biotechnology, Horticulture, and
Research, thanked Mr. Conaway
and Mr. Pompeo for their work on
the bill.
"As a parent, I believe it is important to have national and reliable
food labels, and this bill does that
by allowing for an effective, uniform labeling system
that consumers can
trust," Mr. Davis said.
"Without a national
standard, we risk the
spread of misinformation and increased
food costs. Just as con- Conaway
sumers can go to the
grocery store and identify organic
products, this bill will allow them
to do the same with G.M.O.-free
products."
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (G.M.A.) praised the passage
of the bill.
"Today's House Agriculture Committee vote is further evidence of the
growing support and momentum in
Congress for this bill, and we urge
the full House to pass it before the
August recess," said Pamela G. Bailey, president and chief executive
officer of the G.M.A. "This critically
important bipartisan legislation will
ensure that Americans have accurate, consistent information about
their food rather than a 50-state

Bakers seek pho legal protection
during three year phase-out period
WASHINGTON - The House Appropriations Committee on July 8
voted to add an amendment that
would preserve the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status of
partially hydrogenated oils (phos)
through June 17, 2018.
The proposed change represents
a major priority for the baking industry.
"We are one step closer to protecting bakers from unwarranted litigation that could negatively impact
both large and small businesses,"
said Robb MacKie, president and
chief executive officer of the A.B.A.
14 / July 21, 2015 XMilling & Baking News

The A.B.A. said rules calling for
the phase-out of phos over a period of time created confusion
since the proposed rule immediately revoked the fats'
GRAS status. The lack
of harmonization leaves
food manufacturers susceptible to litigation, the
A.B.A. said. The proposed June 2018 date
for GRAS revocation is
the same date that pho
use is banned.
Representative Andy Harris of
New York proposed the amendment

patchwork of labeling laws that will
only prove costly and confusing for
consumers, farmers and food manufacturers.
"It is imperative that the House
and Senate move quickly to pass
the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act. It will put a science-based
framework in place that provides
consumers across the country with
uniform food labeling standards."
The American Soybean Association (A.S.A.) also applauded
the House Agriculture Committee for marking up and approving
the bill.
"Consumers continue to demand
more transparency and accountability from food producers," said Wade
Cowan, president of the A.S.A. and
a soybean farmer from Brownfield,
Texas. "This bill ensures that a
multi-state patchwork of state regulations is avoided." Mr. Cowan said
the A.S.A. is now engaged in efforts
to garner chamber-wide support for
the bill.
"We've seen that the effort to
bring clarity to the G.M.O. labeling debate has significant support
on both sides of the aisle," he said.
"It's clear that consumers want
practical solutions that give them
the confidence they want in their
food, and this legislation does exactly that. In the coming weeks,
we'll meet with every lawmaker in
soybean country to urge them to
support this legislation. It's a bill
that moves us closer to a sciencebased dialogue on food and farm issues, and we will encourage every
member of the House to get behind
it." MBN
before the Appropriations Committee, the A.B.A. said.
"The Committee's unified support for
Rep. Harris's amendment underscores
their understanding and acknowledgement that F.D.A. needs to take positive
steps to clarify that phos are safe in
food until the 2018 compliance
date," Mr. MacKie said. "This
action will quell the current litigation trend and assist small
and large businesses as they
continue forward with their
transitions."
Even prior to the ban,
the food industry has dramatically reduced its use of
phos, Mr. MacKie said. Overall, reformulations have reduced use of phos by
70% during this period, he said. MBN
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Milling & Baking News - July 21, 2015

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