Bills seek labels for biotech food
STORY SUMMARY »
Two bills affecting one of the fastest-growing industries in Hawaii have been introduced to the state legislature.
Biotech Food Bills
SB 3232: Requires labeling for all genetically engineered produce sold in Hawaii.
SB 3233: Requires companies to reveal the location of test and production plots of genetically engineered crops.
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Sen. Mike Gabbard is proposing the mandatory labeling of genetically modified whole foods sold in Hawaii, as well requiring growers to say what is being grown in the state and where.
Gabbard says his bills reflect the wishes of the majority of consumers in Hawaii, but the companies that test such crops here say they are unnecessary.
The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, which represents Dow AgroScience, Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Syngenta, said scientific studies have concluded there is no difference in the safety of biotech foods.
To require a label would mislead consumers, the companies say. The group also said revealing the location of test sites would jeopardize the safety of staff and employees.
Seed crops have become the third-largest commodity in Hawaii's agricultural economy, according to the HCIA, bringing in $144 million annually.
More than 4,000 permits for GE testing in Hawaii have been issued, according to Gabbard.
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Sen. Mike Gabbard has introduced a bill requiring all genetically modified whole foods sold in Hawaii be labeled and another requiring companies to reveal the test plots of genetically engineered crops.
Gabbard and his staff say the bills are the first of their kind in Hawaii, although similar legislation has been introduced on the mainland.
"These bills are about consumer choice," said Gabbard (D-Kalaeoloa-Makakilo). "People have a right to know what food they put in their bodies and what is happening on our lands, and they should be informed."
The first bill -- SB3232 -- requires a conspicuous "GENETICALLY ENGINEERED" label on the distribution or sale of fruits and vegetables, which would pertain mostly to papaya, squash and sweet corn in Hawaii.
Companion bill SB3233 requires anyone undertaking the open field production of a genetically engineered plant to notify the state Department of Agriculture 30 days in advance, disclosing what will be grown and where.
Gabbard said the bills reflect the wishes of the majority of residents here.
The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, which represents Dow AgroScience, Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Syngenta, says the bill is not necessary.
"Over a decade of scientific studies have concluded that there is absolutely no difference in the health and safety of biotech and non-biotech foods," said Alicia Maluafiti, HCIA's executive director. "To suggest that biotech foods require a special label would mislead the consumer into thinking otherwise."
Maluafiti added that requiring disclosure of test sites would invite disruption of legitimate agricultural activities, jeopardizing the safety of staff and employees -- besides implying that they were unsafe.
She said test site locations on Molokai and Kauai have been vandalized.
Ken Kamiya, president of the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association, also said labeling should not be required for food that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration has listed as safe for consumption.
"If it is not dangerous, harmful or different, why label it?" said Kamiya.
The bills are supported, however, by the Sierra Club and Earthjustice, as well as organic farmers who worry about the potential contamination of their crops by GE test fields nearby.
"I think they represent a very necessary control of the unwanted spread of genetically engineered crops," said Paul Achitoff, Earthjustice attorney. "The problem has been (that) people have been growing and selling GE crops without any requirement to notify either the consumers, neighbors or farmers of what's being grown or sold."
Achitoff said the bills would allow consumers to decide whether or not to buy GE produce.
Opposition to genetically engineered foods has been growing across the U.S., with similar attempts to pass laws in other states. Alaska requires the labeling of genetically engineered fish and shellfish, but a similar proposal in Oregon failed.
Seed crops have become the third-largest commodity in Hawaii's agricultural economy, according to the HCIA, bringing in $144 million annually.
More than 4,000 permits for GE testing in Hawaii have been issued, according to Gabbard, as the state becomes one of the primary biotech research and development centers in the globe.
Monsanto, for instance, last year purchased 2,300 acres of Kunia land once tended to by Del Monte Fresh Produce, which ended production unexpectedly. Monsanto Hawaii also expanded on Molokai, leasing some 1,650 acres of land around Kaunakakai.
"The bottom line is that people have the right to choose whether they eat a GE papaya or not," said Gabbard. "And, they have the right to know whether a company is testing GE crops nearby."
