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STAR-ADVERTISER / 2013
The people who are most concerned about genetically modified organisms are women, Native Hawaiians, young people and the poor. Seventy-six percent of people who were interviewed in a statewide poll support GMO labeling.
An effort to require labels on genetically modified foods in Hawaii was brought back to life in the state Legislature.
But it died in committee Thursday almost as quickly as it was revived.
Representative Jessica Wooley gutted an agriculture bill to replace it with the GMO labeling requirements. Supporters told the House Agriculture Committee that Hawaii residents have the right to know what’s going into their foods.
But members of the committee challenged the way the bill was written and questioned how the state would enforce labeling laws. Rep. Isaac Choy asked exactly how the state would figure out if a food had been mislabeled.
Chairwoman Wooley deferred the bill indefinitely, so it’s out of consideration for this legislative session unless an unusual effort is made to bring it back.
