The U.S. Senate is on track to approve legislation requiring mandatory labels for food products containing genetically modified organisms, handing a policy victory to associations seeking to overturn more restrictive state labeling laws.

The Senate voted 65-32 in favor of advancing the bill Wednesday. The legislation would set up a mandatory national standard for labeling GMO foods, although food companies would have some discretion about what form those labels would take. More importantly, it would supersede state laws like Vermont's, which has been challenged in court by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and other trade groups.

The bill is expected to pass and move to the House of Representatives, which has approved similar legislation in the past.

The vote didn't take place without drama. At one point, anti-GMO protesters tossed paper money down on the Senate floor from the visitor's gallery while shouting that agribusiness giant Monsanto had bribed senators, according to news reports.

GMA had a more favorable reaction. In a statement, CEO Pamela Bailey called the vote "a key step towards passage of this vitally important legislation to protect consumers, farmers and businesses from the harmful effects of Vermont's GMO labeling law."

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization also welcomed the vote as one more step in bringing some certainty to the labeling process. What it and many business groups fear is a patchwork of state labeling laws that could add millions of dollars to the cost of doing business for their members.

"This bill represents a carefully crafted bipartisan agreement," BIO CEO Jim Greenwood said. "It will provide consumers with more consistent, reliable information about bioengineered food while also preserving stability in the U.S. food value chain."

As the Senate protest attests, the legislation has received mixed reactions from proponents of organic foods. However, it has won a somewhat hesitant endorsement from the Organic Trade Association.

"While not perfect, this bill covers thousands more products than Vermont's GMO labeling law and other state initiatives," the association said in a June 27 statement. "It will not allow products that are exempt from informing consumers about their GMO content to automatically slap on a non-GMO claim. And it makes a huge advance in recognizing and safeguarding USDA certified organic as the gold standard for transparency and non-GMO status."

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