The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) said it commends the House Agriculture Committee for its hearing today that will examine the cost and impacts of mandatory biotechnology labeling laws.

“There’s no question that a patchwork of state food laws across the country with different labeling mandates and requirements will create confusion for consumers, cause significant new costs for Americans, and lead to critical problems for our nation’s grocery supply chain,” said Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of GMA.  “Congress must pass a bipartisan bill this year to ensure Americans continue to have access to consistent  science-based standards for food labeling, and today’s hearing  reinforces  the need for a federal solution.”

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been around for years, with 70 to 80 percent of the foods consumed in the U.S. containing genetically modified ingredients, according to GMA.

 A hearing at the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee last year discussed FDA’s role in the regulation of GMO’s. General consensus from the scientific community at the hearing was that GMO’s are safe for consumption. There was some question as to whether a mandatory GMO warning label would be misleading to the consumer.