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Washington, D.C.—Consumers Union, the public policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is urging Congress to reject the proposals contained in the misleadingly named “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015,” which was reintroduced by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) today. The bill would prohibit states from establishing or carrying out mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food, and would explicitly allow GE foods, known as GMOs, to be labeled “natural.”

“Consumers have a right to know if their food has been genetically engineered,” said Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives at Consumers Union. “States should not be prohibited from requiring GE labeling.”

The bill would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue its current policy, in which any labeling of genetically engineered food must be the voluntary choice of the food producer. The bill was reintroduced just days after a World Health Organization research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), categorized the herbicide glyphosate (trade name Roundup), used on virtually all GE crops, as a “probable carcinogen.”

Consumers Union senior scientist Michael Hansen, Ph.D. said, “The new status of glyphosate, so widely used on genetically engineered crops, as a probable carcinogen, heightens consumer concern and increases consumer support for mandatory labeling.”