Vermont Passes GMO Labeling Bill

Written By: Lee Ann Rush

There’s some very good news to write about on this Earth Day, 2014. Vermont, home to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream which, even though corporate-owned, now uses only non-GMO ingredients in its products, has become the first state in the country to pass legislation requiring that foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be labeled beginning on July 1, 2016. Although a similar food-labeling bill had passed Vermont’s state House of Representatives in May of 2013, the state Senate just last week passed its own bill (H.112) by an overwhelming majority of 28-2. The Senate bill included several amendments which must be ratified by the House before Governor Peter Shumlin can sign the bill into law. Insiders predict quick agreement, and believe that the bill could well become law within the week.*

Although Connecticut and Maine have already passed food labeling bills, labeling regulations have yet to be implemented in those states because their bills were contingent upon neighboring states passing similar legislation. The Vermont bill contains no such restrictions; there are absolutely no strings attached. According to Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell, “We are saying people have a right to know what’s in their food.” Vermont state Senator Joe Benning views the labeling of GMOs as an issue of transparency more than one of safety, comparing it to the nutritional labeling already required on packaged foods. “I know what carbohydrates can do to my body,” he stated, adding, “Some people in this room, that’s exactly how they feel about GMOs.”

Of course, most GMO opponents and food labeling advocates base their negative opinions of genetically-modified organisms on both the clear and present health risks inherent in these foods and the environmental havoc being caused by the proliferation of GMO crops. While many countries, including most of Europe, Russia and China, have banned certain GMOs and require the labeling of products containing others, the United States has bowed to the FDA’s tacit mission to protect the interests of agro-businesses and continues to disseminate falsehoods about the safety of these Frankenfood creations. Indeed, Vermont lawmakers and food-safety lobbyists fully anticipate a lawsuit from the biotech industry, food manufacturers’ groups, or both. “We expect that Monsanto will sue the state of Vermont in order to prevent enactment of H.112. We also expect that Monsanto will lose, and the law will go into effect on schedule, on July 1, 2016,” said Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association. I, for one, hope that Ronnie Cummins is right.

*On April 23, the Vermont House of Representatives passed the Senate bill by a vote of 114-30. The bill is now headed to Governor Peter Shumlin’s desk for his signature.