GMO Alert: You Have The Right To Know If Your Food Is Genetically Modified, Says The Senate

Ever wonder whether the food you're eating contains GMOs? With the U.S. Senate ruling 63-30, the bill to mandate all companies to put GMO labels in their packaging has been brought to the House of Representatives where it is expected to pass.

The caveat? Consumers might not notice the labels because the labels might not be words or pictures. They could be QR codes that you have to scan with your smartphones. Worse, the bill could have loopholes.

If passed, the bill would override state laws, including the stringent law in Vermont where farmers have been lobbying. It is authored by Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas and Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

The bill is favored by the food industry as it does not have to alter its packaging state by state which could increase labeling and distribution costs. It still is a big blow to industries who have been lobbying against it since it could stigmatize GMO crops and lower its demand.

While the Senate successfully passed the bill, it is not without opposition. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said that the bill has vague language that food companies could take advantage of. He also points out that labels that need to be scanned would confuse many consumers and limit the law's scope.

"When parents go to the store and purchase food, they have the right to know what is in the food their kids are going to be eating," Sanders said on the floor of the Senate ahead of the vote.

Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley also noted that the weak federal requirements might make it impossible for consumers to access information regarding GMOs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration passed a memo voicing out their concern that the U.S. Agriculture Department will decide what ingredients are genetically modified.

One such concern would be "ingredients like beet sugar and soybean oil, which can be derived from genetically-engineered crops but contain next to no genetic material by the time they are processed, may not fall under the law's definition of a bioengineered food."

The USDA's general council assures that it would include commercially-growm GMO corn, soybeans, sugar and canola crops.