Vermont’s GMO labeling bill: the first domino?
Vermont’s governor, Peter Shumlin, says he will sign Vermont’s GMO labeling bill. The bill, (H112), which passed by a majority of 114 to 30:
- Requires food manufacturers to label GMO products sold in Vermont starting July 1, 2016 (Meat, dairy, liquor and prepared foods sold in restaurants are exempt).
- Will allow labels to say “partially produced with genetic engineering,” “may be produced with genetic engineering,” or “produced with genetic engineering.”
- Says foods containing GMO ingredients cannot be marketed as “natural.”
- Sets aside $1.5 million to pay for the inevitable lawsuits.
As always, the Grocery Manufacturers of America can be counted on to give the industry position. H112
is critically flawed and not in the best interests of consumers. It sets the nation on a costly and misguided path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies that will do nothing to advance the safety of consumer.
…The FDA, World Health Organization, American Medical Association and U.S. National Academy of Science have all found that foods and beverages that contain GM ingredients are safe and materially no different than conventionally produced products. Consumers who prefer to avoid GM ingredients have the option to choose from an array of products already in the marketplace labeled ‘certified organic.’
Translation: if GMO’s are safe, they are OK. Never mind all the other reasons it would be good to label them.
GMOs are the best thing that ever happened to organics.
The lawsuits will, no doubt, invoke the First Amendment. One attorney, Jonathan Emord, says the bill should be able to withstand the challenge.
Will Vermont’s action lead to a domino effect? Nearly 30 other states are considering such bills.
Recall that the first company to produce GMO tomatoes intended to label them (I have copies of the label in my files). But the biotechnology industry put an end to that idea in the early 1990s.
Now it’s paying the price for a bad decision 20 years ago. I’m surprised this took so long.
More information from FoodNavigator-USA:
