Ledyard panel to look at labeling genetically modified foods | News from southeastern Connecticut

The Day - Ledyard panel to look at labeling genetically modified foods | News from southeastern Connecticut

State Rep. Philip Miller, D-Essex, said Tuesday that he is initiating a bill that will be considered in the legislature this session that would require that foods containing GMOs be labeled as such. The first public hearings on the bill would take place in the Public Health Committee, where it is being introduced.

"They're not natural. It's not the same as plant genetics," said Miller, who is vice chairman of the Public Health Committee.

While organic farming organizations are supportive of the bill, Miller said, some other agriculture groups are not. Ice cream makers who use corn syrup sweeteners, for example, are opposed, because many corn-based products are derived from genetically modified corn.
The other bill is being introduced by Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, and will have its first hearing in the Children Committee. It would require labeling for infant formula and other baby foods that contain GMOs, including genetically modified corn-based ingredients.

Using GMOs in baby foods, she believes, is particularly troubling because their long-term effects are unknown. Because infants are growing and developing rapidly, they would be more susceptible to any harmful effects, she said.

"The consumer should be able to know whether there is a GMO or not," said Urban, who is co-chairwoman of the Children Committee