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1 | AN ACT concerning public health.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Genetically Engineered Food Right To Know Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | following: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (1) Consumers wish to know whether the food they | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | purchase and consume contains or is produced with a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | genetically engineered material for a variety of reasons, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | including the potential transfer of allergens into food and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | other health risks, concerns about potential environmental | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | risks associated with the genetic engineering of crops, and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | religiously and ethically based dietary restrictions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | (2) Consumers have a right to know whether the food | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | they purchase contains or was produced with genetically | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | engineered material. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | (3) Labels voluntarily placed on foods are | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | insufficient to provide consumers with adequate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | information concerning whether or not all of the food they | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | purchase contains or was produced with genetically | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | engineered material. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | (4) Mandatory labeling provides a critical scientific |
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1 | method necessary for the continual post market | ||||||
2 | surveillance to study long-term health impacts and | ||||||
3 | enforcement of food safety laws preventing adulterated | ||||||
4 | foods from reaching consumers. | ||||||
5 | Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||||
6 | "Food" includes an animal grown to become food for human | ||||||
7 | consumption, a food product, a food ingredient, a dietary | ||||||
8 | supplement, or a beverage. "Food" does not include a raw | ||||||
9 | agricultural commodity. | ||||||
10 | "Genetically engineered material" means material derived | ||||||
11 | from any part of a genetically engineered organism, without | ||||||
12 | regard to whether the altered molecular or cellular | ||||||
13 | characteristics of the organism are detectable in the material. | ||||||
14 | "Genetically engineered organism" means: | ||||||
15 | (1) an organism that has been altered at the molecular | ||||||
16 | or cellular level by means that are not possible under | ||||||
17 | natural conditions or processes, including, but not | ||||||
18 | limited to, recombinant DNA and RNA techniques, cell | ||||||
19 | fusion, microencapsulation, macroencapsulation, gene | ||||||
20 | deletion and doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and | ||||||
21 | changing the positions of genes, other than a means | ||||||
22 | consisting exclusively of breeding, conjugation, | ||||||
23 | fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, | ||||||
24 | tissue culture, or mutagenesis; and | ||||||
25 | (2) an organism made through sexual or asexual |
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1 | reproduction or both involving an organism described in | ||||||
2 | paragraph (1) of this Section if it possesses any of the | ||||||
3 | altered molecular or cellular characteristics of the | ||||||
4 | organism. | ||||||
5 | "Label" means a display of written, printed, or graphic | ||||||
6 | matter upon an article or the immediate container, not | ||||||
7 | including a package liner, of an article. | ||||||
8 | Section 15. Label required. | ||||||
9 | (a) All foods containing genetically engineered material | ||||||
10 | or produced with genetically engineered material must be | ||||||
11 | clearly marked with a label placed in a conspicuous place that | ||||||
12 | indicates that the food contains genetically engineered | ||||||
13 | material or was produced with a genetically engineered | ||||||
14 | material. The label must contain the following language: | ||||||
15 | "This product contains a genetically engineered material | ||||||
16 | or was produced with a genetically engineered material.". | ||||||
17 | (b) For purposes of this Section, a food is considered to | ||||||
18 | have been produced with a genetically engineered material if: | ||||||
19 | (1) the organism from which the food is derived has | ||||||
20 | been injected or otherwise treated with a genetically | ||||||
21 | engineered material, except that the use of manure as | ||||||
22 | fertilizer for raw agricultural commodities may not be | ||||||
23 | construed to mean that such commodities are produced with a | ||||||
24 | genetically engineered material; | ||||||
25 | (2) the animal from which the food is derived has been |
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1 | fed genetically engineered material; or | ||||||
2 | (3) the food contains an ingredient that has been | ||||||
3 | subjected to treatment described in paragraph (1) or (2) of | ||||||
4 | subsection (b) of this Section. | ||||||
5 | Section 20. Rules. The Department of Public Health may | ||||||
6 | create rules necessary for the implementation of this Act.
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