What's happening
Writing a plain-English summary… Track this bill to get it by email.
Why it matters
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 3802a
- Amend and recommit to consumer protection
- Referred to consumer protection
- Referred to consumer protection
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general business law and the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the labeling of genetically engineered foods
Purpose
To require the labeling of genetically engineered foods and other consumable products made from genetically engineered materials.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Sets forth the legislative intent.
Section 2: Defines genetically engineered foods and provides for exemptions from labeling under certain circumstances.
Sections 3 and 4: Makes conforming changes to the Agriculture and Markets Law.
Section 5: Provides the Severability clause.
Section 6: Sets forth the effective date.
Existing law
There is no federal or state law requiring such labeling.
Justification
In the past decade, genetic engineering has enabled the development of new foods and crops. Genetic engineering is a process which allows for the altering of the genetic material contained in an organism to change the characteristics the organism will display as it develops.
The introduction of these new genes is no longer limited to genes from similar species, as the genes from animals or other plant species can be added to create new character traits within a particular organism. The genes are generally introduced into the cells of the organism with the use of viruses; antibiotic-resistant genes, and bacteria. The emergence of these new crops has initiated debate among countries, scientists, farmers, and environmentalists.
A variety of plants are being grown that, contain genetically modified organisms, including corn, canola, cotton, wheat, apples and strawberries. It has been estimated that 60-70% of packaged grocery products contain some genetically modified organism ingredients. Consumers should be provided the information necessary to make informed decisions when choosing food products for their families. This legislation requires that the information be provided through product labeling.
Legislative history
2014 S7405 Referred to Consumer Protection 2012 A1367
Fiscal implications
None to the State
Local fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect twenty-four months after it shall have become a law, with provisions.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.