SR0255 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0255 LRB099 11642 GRL 33428 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Certain consumers have expressed a desire to know, via food product labeling, whether they are purchasing or consuming food that contains ingredients that were developed through bioengineering; and

WHEREAS, The United States Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Academy of Sciences, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the European Food Safety Authority, among others, have all determined that genetically modified crops grow in the same fashion as those that are not genetically modified and that foods produced with genetically modified ingredients are safe for human consumption; and

WHEREAS, The United States Food and Drug Administration's "Statement of Policy - Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties" was first published in 1992 to address relevant scientific, safety, and regulatory issues prior to the introduction of new plant varieties into the marketplace; and

WHEREAS, Genetic modification technology has been used to produce food products for more than 25 years; and

WHEREAS, Seventy to eighty percent of the foods consumed in this country are genetically modified whole products or contain genetically modified ingredients; and

WHEREAS, Consumers in Illinois have a right to know the contents of the food they consume; and

WHEREAS, Any law passed in the State of Illinois regarding food labeling would likely be preempted by similar federal legislation presently being considered in our nation's capital; and

WHEREAS, A national clarification is needed to prevent the unneeded confusion for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers and to prevent an assortment of local and state regulations attempting to accomplish a similar goal; and

WHEREAS, A patchwork of local and state mandatory labeling laws and regulations will require manufacturers and retailers to make immediate and ongoing changes to their operations in order to comply with such requirements, which will undoubtedly result in higher food prices; and

WHEREAS, Requiring separate production runs, state-specific tracking units, segregated warehousing, trucking, and other logistical complexities to comply with a puzzle board of local regulations and state-specific requirements will all result in higher food prices; and

WHEREAS, The National Organic Program housed within the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States Department of Agriculture excludes the use of bioengineered crops or ingredients for growers wishing to sell their products as "organic"; consumers seeking to avoid food containing ingredients developed through bioengineering may do so by purchasing food labeled as "organic"; and

WHEREAS, Many food marketers, vendors, retailers, and food producers already differentiate various food products that do not contain ingredients developed through bioengineering, by voluntarily affixing "non-GMO" or similar labels on products; third party certifiers, such as the Non-GMO Project, create standards for farmers, processors, and manufacturers in sourcing non-bioengineered crop sources so that consumers who make a decision not to purchase food containing ingredients developed through bioengineering can avoid such products; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to direct the clarification of national food labeling standards; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we show our support for meaningful consumer education and for measures that provide consumers with a reasonable means of identifying food products that may or may not have been developed using bioengineering; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage food manufacturers to further study ways to inform consumers about food choices, as long as the information provided is truthful and not misleading; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois State agencies to suspend any and all action with regards to state-specific food labeling requirements until guidance is received from the federal government.