a Gamo labeling bill first filed by state representative on story from
Amherst
eight years ago with finally at a committee will soon potentially go to
the floor for a vote
well joining me is Stephanie Kraft Valley advocate reporter it's been
writing about this
issue and you're here to talk about what's in the bill
and let's start off with my to taken so long to
make its way through what is the billing to help the bill
would require that food for human consumption that's produced
by genetic engineering RB
labeled that seeds produced by
genetic engineering be labeled arm
not and retail food and wholesale food as well
has to be labeled say it's going to a store
arm it has to be labeled so that's clear to the people who run the business
arm food in both those situations must be labeled
and seed must be labeled one feature the bill
the i think is going to be somewhat disappointing to
people who are concerned about she amo food
is that food that you buy at farmers markets
or directly from a farmer does not have to be
labeled and there are some other exceptions I think as popular as farmers
markets are
in this area that's a significant one I'm so
the bill is not arm a bill that's going to be completely satisfactory people
with concerns but
it is a very important bill and there is much
opposition that's why I think it took so long
okay now at some people aren't even ask you know you're the difference between
GM 0 foods and non-gm
ok foods so how important is this to the average consumer
well are as you say people
differ in the degree took which they
are informed but the
difference well the fact is
I think basically genetic engineering is still so
new although we've been hearing about it for a long time we still haven't had
generations of people
eating food that's produced out through genetic
engineering and I think a common misconception
although not universal is that genetic engineering
is just a more advanced form the kind
love selective breeding that were traditionally familiar with
the kind that gives you a better rose
you just keep crossing roses until Sunday you come out with the Lady Mary
Crawley
bread bread bread rosen you win the Flower Show
or that gives us faster race horses or plumper juicy oranges something like
that
the thing everybody needs to know about genetically
manipulated organisms in food
is that some the snot all of them
but summer them are radically different than anything was
that was ever done with traditional breeding when you put
eighties gene for scorpion
been up in cabbage because
the scorpion venom element will
make caterpillar's died when they eat the cabbage when you put a fish
gene in the tomato because a tomato
art needs to be you want to be more resistant to cold
when you put a jellyfish gene in a potato
to make it turn green when it needs to be watered this is not like anything
we ever did with traditional plant breeding
in its very important that people understand that and the fact that there
are unknown results
from those things arm is what makes people concerned about genetically
manipulated elements in food
and that's where you'd say the biggest differences between genetic engineering
and selective breeding
whole it's a very make no mistake
its up it's a radical difference now
I maginnis on social media and I gotta lotta reaction from people that said
they would rather choose non-gm 0 food over GM hope they decide to be a little
bit more expensive
but I did actually reach out and say well the government shouldn't get
involved in labeling especially in regards to this legislation
bill that's working its way to the house so how about the government well
you have to remember that the government is already involved
in labeling that's why you have labels
on the food you buy in the grocery store would you really want
a grocery store in which arm
say a food has some element to which you or your child are allergic
would you not want to be able to find that out by looking at the label
the government is involved you just have to remember that that's the government
that's not a voluntary effort
on the part love food companies now it's very interesting to see this bill had
by pardons bipartisan that bipartisanship
between Republicans and Democrats which often they're at odds with each other
but not with this bill
as opposed to a lot of the farmers are at odd saying no no no we don't want to
say take care this is it needs to be done on a national level
why is that well they Farm Bureau
the National Farm Bureau has a throne
in with the grocery Manufacturers
America on this issue the grocery manufacturers of America are the ones
that are pushing
a national law that would preempt state laws
however in massachusetts not all farmers who belong to the Farm Bureau
arm I have to take the same position as the Farm Bureau and this is one thing
that arm
the Northeast organic farming Association has told me
they had to left the legislature know that the Farm Bureau does not speak to
all
for all farmers not even for all farmers who are members
I love the Farm Bureau and a course particularly many organic farmers
are not in favor love are the release a
genetically engineered food without its being labeled
now there's a trigger clause in this bill yes that some supporters are fonda
0 people who are politically minded are just going to love the way this plays
out it's like a game of chess
our bill like the bill already passed in connecticut
and the bill already passed in Maine with the slight difference
requires that at least four other states
passed similar bills be four
this bill can be implemented its extraordinary
to have a bill that stipulates that something has to happen
outside the state for the bill to be implemented with
in the state that's very
Terry unusual up the main bill I believe actually requires that fine
other states past and the state's
have to be contiguous to the state's a Massachusetts well
good so Connecticut is contiguous with us
but me is only contiguous with one other state new hampshire so
unless new hampshire passes a bill their bill can't be implemented in
the trigger further states that at least 20 million people
must be covered by the they states that
the contiguous states that passed the bill so
old new england has about 15 million
Massachusetts has the most Massachusetts as between six and seven million
so I don't see how this bill gets implemented
unless we get new york in
because New York has I think about 19 million people so that's almost
insist if we get new york alone I didn't know because that's not for state
that many states and $20 million
very very gave me thing is going on
so definitely something to look forward to see as a smooth even more to pass
tomorrow we stop to get other
Old Town Board anyone who's under the impression that when this passes we have
labeling in Massachusetts
that's not going to be the way it works so we shall we and see what happens
Stephanie Kraft from Bali advocate thank you so much
poets for pleasure thank you very much