A bill to keep states from issuing mandatory labeling laws for foods made with genetically modified ingredients “sailed through the Senate on Thursday despite pushback from Democrats,” .

The billÌýinstructsÌýthe U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a national labeling standard within two years “that requires food producers to use text, symbols or QR codes consumers can scan with a smartphone to find out if a product contains genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.”

The bill .

Democrat Mazie Hirono of Hawaii voted “yea” while Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii voted “nay.”

US Capitol building senate reflecting pool. 12 june 2016
The U.S. Capitol Building. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Hirono about the bill:Ìý“Regardless of your position on GMOs, most of us agree that we all have a right to know what is in the food we eat. I support a mandatory federal system for labeling and disclosing GMOs in food so that consumers across the country have consistent access to information no matter what state they live in.”

Meanwhile, the office of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the Democrat of Hawaii, said the Senate bill creates “an illusion of transparency.”

She said:Ìý“Nearly 90 percent of Americans support common sense food labeling. Yet the GMO bill voted on by the Senate today is a weak attempt to placate American consumers by creating the illusion of transparency. If this bill was truly intended to expand consumers’ right to know, it would require a clear, easy to read, uniform food labeling standard. Instead, the bill creates a system of electronic codes, symbols, and text that are intentionally confusing to consumers.”

And this: “This labeling system requires consumers to jump through hoops for information that should be very basic and straightforward.ÌýIn addition, it lacks any measures to hold companies accountable if they violate these labeling requirements.”

GabbardÌýis an original co-sponsor of the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, which her office said would require the FDA to clearly label all foods containing genetically engineered ingredients.

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