WASHINGTON – Legislation introduced in Congress seeks to preempt state laws that require products to carry labels informing consumers of potential health risks like cancer and developmental harm to children.
The Accurate Labels Act, introduced this week in the House and Senate, is backed by the food industry and other sectors. If it were to become law, state laws like Proposition 65 in California, which requires labels on products that contain ingredients that could cause cancer and other health problems, would be preempted.
The following is a statement from EWG Senior Vice President Scott Faber:
The American people deserve to know if the products they buy and bring home could put them and their families at risk. This legislation would effectively keep the American people in the dark and unaware if ingredients in food, toys, personal care products and other goods could expose them to cancer-causing chemicals and other hazardous substances.
Congress should not be advancing legislation that keeps consumers in the dark about what could be lurking in the products on store shelves. If there is a chemical ingredient in food or a child’s toy that could cause cancer, people have the right to know before they purchase it.
