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Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts is busy trying to broker a deal with Democrats that will stop Vermont’s GMO labeling law . . . from taking effect. Roberts, told MA [Politico’s Morning Agriculture] that he is having regular conversations with Democrats to see if there is any middle ground to be had that will still pre-empt Vermont’s law. . . But gaining passage is not going to be easy. Among the biggest obstacles will likely be Bernie Sanders. . . .
“The overwhelming majority of Americans favor GMO labeling” Sanders said in a statement. “We cannot allow the interests of Monsanto and other multi-national food industry corporations to prevail. I am very proud that Vermont took the lead nationally to make sure people know what is in the food they eat. . . .”
And that stance is what the food industry should be worried about, said one labeling proponent. “With Vermont being the prime target of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, they may have just met the immovable object in Bernie Sanders,” the source said. [More . . .on Sanders’ role in the GMO labeling fight here.]
Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has championed GMO labeling bills in the Senate, told MA that she is skeptical that Roberts has the support he needs for passage. The California Democrat said she is “very concerned about [the bill] because I have a basic belief that people have a right to know what’s in their food. . . I think this is more than a partisan issue. There are a lot of people who think people have the right to know on both sides of the aisle.”
Read full, original post: Tough road ahead for Roberts GMO labeling bill
