Full Text of SR0255 99th General Assembly
SR0255 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Certain consumers have expressed a desire to know, | 3 | | via food product labeling, whether they are purchasing or | 4 | | consuming food that contains ingredients that were developed | 5 | | through bioengineering; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The United States Food and Drug Administration, | 7 | | the American Medical Association, the World Health | 8 | | Organization, the United States Department of Agriculture, the | 9 | | National Academy of Sciences, the United Nations Food and | 10 | | Agriculture Organization, and the European Food Safety | 11 | | Authority, among others, have all determined that genetically | 12 | | modified crops grow in the same fashion as those that are not | 13 | | genetically modified and that foods produced with genetically | 14 | | modified ingredients are safe for human consumption; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The United States Food and Drug Administration's | 16 | | "Statement of Policy - Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties" | 17 | | was first published in 1992 to address relevant scientific, | 18 | | safety, and regulatory issues prior to the introduction of new | 19 | | plant varieties into the marketplace; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Genetic modification technology has been used to | 21 | | produce food products for more than 25 years; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Seventy to eighty percent of the foods consumed in | 2 | | this country are genetically modified whole products or contain | 3 | | genetically modified ingredients; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Consumers in Illinois have a right to know the | 5 | | contents of the food they consume; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Any law passed in the State of Illinois regarding | 7 | | food labeling would likely be preempted by similar federal | 8 | | legislation presently being considered in our nation's | 9 | | capital; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, A national clarification is needed to prevent the | 11 | | unneeded confusion for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers | 12 | | and to prevent an assortment of local and state regulations | 13 | | attempting to accomplish a similar goal; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, A patchwork of local and state mandatory labeling | 15 | | laws and regulations will require manufacturers and retailers | 16 | | to make immediate and ongoing changes to their operations in | 17 | | order to comply with such requirements, which will undoubtedly | 18 | | result in higher food prices; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Requiring separate production runs, | 20 | | state-specific tracking units, segregated warehousing, | 21 | | trucking, and other logistical complexities to comply with a |
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| 1 | | puzzle board of local regulations and state-specific | 2 | | requirements will all result in higher food prices; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The National Organic Program housed within the | 4 | | Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States Department | 5 | | of Agriculture excludes the use of bioengineered crops or | 6 | | ingredients for growers wishing to sell their products as | 7 | | "organic"; consumers seeking to avoid food containing | 8 | | ingredients developed through bioengineering may do so by | 9 | | purchasing food labeled as "organic"; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Many food marketers, vendors, retailers, and food | 11 | | producers already differentiate various food products that do | 12 | | not contain ingredients developed through bioengineering, by | 13 | | voluntarily affixing "non-GMO" or similar labels on products; | 14 | | third party certifiers, such as the Non-GMO Project, create | 15 | | standards for farmers, processors, and manufacturers in | 16 | | sourcing non-bioengineered crop sources so that consumers who | 17 | | make a decision not to purchase food containing ingredients | 18 | | developed through bioengineering can avoid such products; | 19 | | therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to | 22 | | direct the clarification of national food labeling standards; | 23 | | and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That we show our support for meaningful consumer | 2 | | education and for measures that provide consumers with a | 3 | | reasonable means of identifying food products that may or may | 4 | | not have been developed using bioengineering; and be it further | 5 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage food manufacturers to further | 6 | | study ways to inform consumers about food choices, as long as | 7 | | the information provided is truthful and not misleading; and be | 8 | | it further | 9 | | RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois State agencies to | 10 | | suspend any and all action with regards to state-specific food | 11 | | labeling requirements until guidance is received from the | 12 | | federal government.
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