Vermont calls Big Food’s bluff on GMO labels
Large food processors have long claimed that state laws forcing them to label foods containing genetically engineered ingredients would lead to 1) higher prices for consumers who would end up paying the cost of special labeling for one or just a few states and/or 2) fewer food choices as processors simply withdrew some or all of their products from states requiring labeling.
It seems that the state of Vermont has now called their bluff and won.
Neither scenario appears likely when Vermont’s labeling law for products containing genetically engineered ingredients goes into effect on July 1. Instead, General Mills Inc., Kellogg Co., ConAgra Food Inc., Mars Inc. and Campbell Soup Company have announced they will use one label that is in accordance with Vermont law for all markets for products containing genetically engineered ingredients and thus avoid the cost and logistical hassle of separate labels and special handling for products bound for Vermont. This was always going to be the simplest way to comply, and Vermont’s governor knew it. Expect more companies to follow suit soon.
The fate of Vermont’s labeling law for foods containing genetically engineered ingredients–commonly referred to as genetically modified organisms or GMOs–had hung in the balance as a court challenge and federal legislation threatened to overturn it.
But, last year a federal judge decided that Vermont’s law was constitutional and refused to issue an injunction to prevent its implementation. This year the U.S. Congress considered a voluntary GMO labeling law that would have pre-empted the Vermont law. But, the federal legislation failed to pass the Senate.
It seems unlikely that the Congress will pass any bill soon enough to prevent the Vermont law from going into effect, making it the de facto GMO labeling standard for the nation. That doesn’t mean Congress won’t act later.
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