Sen. Bernie Sanders pushes to allow states to label genetically engineered foods

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Wednesday offered an amendment to the Senate's major farm bill that would allow states to require labels on genetically engineered foods.

"Today we have an opportunity with this amendment to affirm once and for all that states do have the right to label food that contains genetically engineered ingredients," he said on the Senate floor.

The self-described democratic socialist said the American people broadly supported labeling genetically engineered foods. He also noted that 64 countries already required the labeling of genetically modified foods.

"All over this country, increasingly, people are becoming more concerned about the foods they are ingesting and the foods they are giving to their kids," Sanders said. "People want to know what is in their food, and I believe that is a very reasonable request."

Sander said that states like Vermont and Connecticut planned to move forward on labeling genetically engineered food, but were stymied by the threat of lawsuits from major agricultural and biotech companies like Monsanto.

"They are arguing that state's do not the right to pass legislation like this, that it is in fact a federal prerogative and not something that a state can legally do. I beleive very strongly that Monsanto is wrong, but that is precisely what this amendment clarifies," he explained.

Watch video, courtesy of C-SPAN, below: