Vermont signs first GMO food labeling law

1. I was trying to find out if any state had succeeded in passing a GMO food label

   ing law

   and found out that Vermont had signed one recently into law.

   More than 60 countries around the world already require GMO labeling,

    including many European

    countries, along with Japan, Russia, and China. Now when people get sick 

   or die from GMO foods they might at least have a vague idea

    what killed them or maimed them in Vermont and the 60 countries that now

   require GMO labeling.

   Vermont governor signs GMO food labeling into law

    

   Vermont becomes first US state to mandate GMO labeling

   Reuters‎ - 2 days ago

   Vermont becomes first U.S. state to mandate GMO labeling

   By Carey Gillam

   Thu May 8, 2014 3:10pm EDT
   

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   May 8 (Reuters) - Vermont on Thursday became the first U.S. state to mandate labeling of foods made with genetically modified organisms as Governor Peter Shumlin signed a law that is widely expected to be challenged in court by some food and agriculture companies.
   The law, set to take effect July 1, 2016, would for the first time align at least a small part of the United States with more than 60 other countries that require labeling of genetically engineered foods. And it sets the stage for more than two dozen other states that are currently considering mandatory labeling of such GMO foods.
   "Vermonters will have the right to know what's in their food," Shumlin told cheering supporters in a speech on the state House steps. "We are pro-information. Vermont gets it right with this bill."
   Shumlin said the state had set up a "food fight fund" to take online donations to help defend the law from litigation expected to be filed by food industry interests to block the law.
   Consumer groups and lawmakers supporting such mandatory labeling say there is no scientific consensus on whether or not genetically engineered crops are safe, and consumers should be able to easily distinguish products containing GMOs so they can avoid them if they wish.
   The consumer sentiment has pushed a growing number of U.S. food companies to start using non-genetically modified ingredients for their products because of the consumer backlash against GMOs.
   But the food and agriculture industries, including the makers of genetically modified corn, soybeans, canola and other crops widely used in packaged foods, are fighting mandatory labeling of GMOs. They say their products are proven safe, and that such labels will imply they are unsafe, confusing consumers and increasing costs for consumers as well as farmers and food companies.
   "Scientific bodies and regulatory officials around the world recognize that foods made from genetically modified (GM) crops are as safe as their non-GM counterparts," said Cathleen Enright, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). "GM crops have enabled farmers to produce more on less land with fewer pesticide applications, less water and reduced on-farm fuel use."
   BIO, a trade group whose members include Monsanto Co , Dow AgroSciences, a unit of Dow Chemical Co, and other biotech seed companies said food costs for an average household would rise as $400 per year due to mandatory labeling.
   BIO and the Grocery Manufacturers Association are backing a proposed federal law that would nullify Vermont's labeling law and any other mandatory labeling of GMOs in the United States.
   Both sides of the debate claims science supports their views. Last October, a group of 93 international scientists said there was a lack of empirical and scientific evidence to support what they said were false claims by the biotech industry about a "consensus" on safety. It said more independent research is needed and studies showing safety tend to be funded and backed by the biotech industry. (Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
   end quote from:
   

   1. Vermont becomes first US state to mandate GMO labeling

   
   
   
   

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   Vermont governor signs GMO food labeling into law

   By Dana Ford and Lorenzo Ferrigno, CNN

   updated 9:17 PM EDT, Thu May 8, 2014

   

   Vermont's GMO labeling bill becomes law

   STORY HIGHLIGHTS

   • Food entirely or partially produced with genetic engineering must be labeled
   • The law, set to go in effect July 2016, is the first of its kind in the United States
   • Gov. Shumlin: "We believe we have a right to know what's in the food we buy"

   (CNN) -- Vermont's governor on Thursday signed a bill into law that will require the labeling of genetically modified foods -- hailing it as the first such law in the nation.
   

   Under the new law, food offered for retail sale that is entirely or partially produced with genetic engineering must be labeled as such by July 2016.

   "Vermonters take our food and how it is produced seriously, and we believe we have a right to know what's in the food we buy," said Gov. Peter Shumlin. "More than 60 countries have already restricted or labeled these foods, and now one state -- Vermont -- will also ensure that we know what's in the food we buy and serve our families."

   In the absence of federal action, other states have introduced similar legislation or ballot initiatives, according to the non-profit Center for Food Safety.

   Maine and Connecticut passed laws requiring labeling, but they won't go into effect until other states pass GMO-labeling laws. Vermont is the first to pass a "no strings attached" bill, the watchdog group said.

   Supporters of the law expect it will be challenged in court.

   "I can make no predictions or promises about how the courts will ultimately rule but I can promise that my office will mount a vigorous and zealous defense of the law that has so much support from Vermont consumers," said Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell.

   The governor tweeted: "Those opposed will put up a fight. Help us fight back."

   Cathleen Enright, executive vice president for food and agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a trade group, warned that mandated labeling could make food costs for the average household could go up as much as $400 a year.

   She stressed foods made from genetically modified crops are as safe as any other.

   "And these same GM crops have enabled farmers to produce more on less land with fewer pesticide applications, less water and reduced on-farm fuel use," Enright said in a statement.

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service approved a non-GMO label for meat and liquid egg products in June, the first time the department has approved such a label from a third party.

   GMO foods were approved for human consumption in 1995, but the Food and Drug Administration never required any labels pointing them out as such.

   CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin and Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.

   end quote from:

   Vermont governor signs GMO food labeling into law