Washington — Republicans and Democrats on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee have struck a deal that would create the first nationwide standard for foods containing genetically modified organisms.

Under the deal, consumers may still have difficulty figuring out if the food they are buying is genetically modified because it wouldn’t mandate printing “GMO” on the exterior. Instead, the agreement would offer three options for disclosure: text on the packaging, a symbol, or an electronic link that would direct consumers to a website for more information.

In another concession to the biotech industry, the bill would tightly define genetic engineering in a way that doesn’t include new techniques such as gene editing.

Beef, pork, poultry and eggs wouldn’t be subject to labeling, though the deal would cover many other grocery staples including corn flakes and cooking oil.

The Senate could vote on the measure as soon as next week. Action in the House may be a different matter, because House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, has been a GMO labeling skeptic, though the changes made at the industry’s request could improve the prospects for getting representatives on board.

Senators are rushing to pre-empt a Vermont law creating its own version of a GMO label, which goes into effect on July 1.

Their agreement calls for banning state-imposed labeling requirements, and would lay out in detail what the national GMO label should include. Producers who’ve secured a “certified organic” designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be allowed to clearly display a “non-GMO” label on their products.

The compromise drew immediate support from the American Soybean Association, the National Grain and Feed Association, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food.

Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, of Kansas, and the committee’s ranking Democrat, Debbie Stabenow, of Michigan, spent months wrangling over the details.

Roberts, in an interview, said that the bill would “save” the agriculture biotech industry.

“We have not only saved it we have protected it,” he said. “We have to do that. How are you going to feed 8.5 billion people down the road if you don’t have agricultural biotechnology?”

He said the electronic code link would let industry provide detailed educational materials on the safety of GMOs to educate consumers. Small manufacturers could use websites or telephone numbers to satisfy the requirements, he said.

Both Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and Sen. Bernie Sanders oppose the legislation.

“People have a right to know what is in the food they eat,” Sanders said in a news release. “I am going to do everything I can to defeat this legislation.”