‘Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Petition the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs To Increase Consumer Confidence in Our Nation's Food System’

‘Sec. 1. Petition. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall petition the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs to develop a nationwide system to more fully evaluate, monitor and provide for whatever labeling is considered necessary to reinforce consumer confidence in the safety of our nation's food system. The commissioner shall inform the secretary and the commissioner that, to date, the development of genetically engineered products has focused on improving agronomic traits for the farmer, such as pest and herbicide resistance and drought tolerance, and that a new generation of products will improve food attributes such as fat content and increase vitamin A content. The commissioner shall also inform the secretary and the commissioner that, as of this year, 25 states including Maine have introduced legislation to require the labeling of genetically modified or engineered foods and that state-by-state initiatives of food labeling will have cost implications for the consumer. The commissioner shall also inform the secretary and the commissioner that, if concerns about safety, labeling or contamination are not resolved at the federal level or on the international level, these new, innovative and healthier products may never be commercialized; and be it further

Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That, upon receipt of a response from either or both the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall forward that response or those responses to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.’