Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

MON/DD/SYT—Vermont requires GMO labeling of packaged foods and produce:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304788404579520090704755918

While Vermont is one of the smallest U.S. states, the legislation marks a victory for activists who have campaigned for GMO labeling, saying consumers have a right to transparency over the widely used technology. Food and agriculture industry groups, which have lobbied aggressively to block similar measures in other states, blasted the Vermont decision, saying it was driven by faulty science and would hurt consumers.

…The food industry, represented by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, has proposed a federal labeling bill, saying patchwork laws from various states would be too complicated. But its bill would only be enacted in the event that FDA reversed course and deemed GMOs unsafe for human consumption.

…Connecticut and Maine have adopted rules that would require labeling if a specified number of other states enact similar legislation. While Vermont's bill wouldn't trigger those, it gets them closer. Connecticut requires four additional states in the Northeast with an aggregate population of 20 million enact mandatory labeling laws, and Maine requires five neighboring states.

Vermont’s GMO legislation reminds of Maine’s attempt to ban the dissemination of prescription-drug data from individual doctors, which was eventually overturned on constitutional grounds. The two issues are entirely different, of course, but small New England states have a tradition of being the testing ground for novel ideas that are strenuously opposed by industry.

Note: If the federal bill mentioned in #msg-100328266 were to be enacted, it would preempt state bills requiring GMO labeling.