The House of Representatives recently passed S. 764, the Roberts-Stabenow Agreement, with bipartisan support. Tom Dempsey, President & CEO, SNAC International praised the membership for their hard work in getting this legislation passed. "After a long two years of working with legislators on the GMO issue we finally have legislation that gives the industry and consumers clarity. Manufacturers avoided a patchwork of potentially contradictory state laws and consumers have product transparency. The work of SNAC International members with their legislators was invaluable in this process."  
 
Dempsey also expressed his appreciation to House Agricultural Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, Ranking Member Collin Peterson, Congressmen Mike Pompeo and G.K. Butterfield, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow for their critical leadership on this issue.  "The strong bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate is a testament to their hard work and leadership."
 
The bill now moves to the President's desk for signature into law. Once signed, Vermont's labeling standard is immediately preempted and no longer required. Dempsey stated, "SNAC International's membership consists of large and small businesses alike, and none of our members do business in just a single state. The snack industry urgently needed this legislation to pass to avoid a patchwork of state labeling regulations from wreaking havoc on the entire food supply chain, and especially our small businesses."