After Vermont became the first state to take GMO labelling into its own hands, Congress has now passed a nationwide bill.

On July 7, 2016, Senate approved a compromise bill, which requires that GMO information be provided to consumers.

Companies can inform consumers about GM ingredients in a number of ways – through direct labels on packages, digital QR codes or links to websites and phone numbers for information.

The bill is currently in the approval stages by President Obama, before becoming officially in effect.

Since the news of the bill became public, consumers have had split opinions. Some believe that it is still too difficult to get the information if consumers are expected to have a smartphone handy to scan a code, while others are happy with the bill and many believe that the bill is altogether unnecessary.

The details of exactly what is considered genetically modified and what needs to be labeled as so is also causing controversy.

Consumers are now awaiting the labeling bill to take effect, while food and beverage companies are concerned with how this may affect product sales.