The biotechnology and food industries had a big victory today when the House voted 275 to 150 to pass H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, but Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he would not introduce a biotechnology labeling bill until fall. The White House, which had been neutral, issued a cautionary statement.

The vote breakdown showed that 230 Republicans and 45 Democrats voted for the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., and would stop states from labeling foods with genetically modified ingredients and establish a voluntary “non-GMO” labeling program at the Agriculture Department’s Agricultural Marketing Service. According to the House Daily Gallery tally, 138 Democrats and 12 Republicans voted against it.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association has said it is in talks with Hoeven about a bill, but when reporters asked Hoeven about it today, he said he is still trying to write a bill that would achieve bipartisan support in the Senate.

Hoeven said that he did not know if the Pompeo bill would pass the Senate, but that he does not yet have a bill that would pass the Senate.

Meanwhile, a White House official said in an email to The Hagstrom Report, "We are monitoring H.R. 1599. We know that some consumers are interested in knowing more about their food, including whether their food includes ingredients from genetically engineered crops. As the bill progresses, we will continue to track this legislation.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget did not issue a statement of administration policy on the Pompeo bill, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said only that he has more faith in an initiative by food companies to use barcodes to inform consumers about ingredients – including those that are genetically modified.