The Latest on implementation of Vermont’s GMO labeling law

The Senate voted 68-29 to move ahead with debate and a crucial procedural vote next week on the bipartisan GMO labeling bill needed to preempt a patchwork of conflicting state laws with a national label of some kind.

Smith sees a disturbing trend.

Roberts has been reportedly distributing a flier touting that the bill will nullify the “dangerous” Vermont law and stop other states from passing similar legislation.

Coca-Cola has warned customers that some of its products may not be available in retailers in Vermont, as a new law on GMO-labeling comes into effect today in the U.S. state.

“We held a hearing last October that covered all facets of agriculture biotechnology, including labeling”, Roberts said. “If that secretary were to decide on a high percentage of GMO content, it would exempt virtually all processed GMO foods”, the letter said.

Since GE crops came on the US market 20 years ago, use has skyrocketed, with 93 percent of soybeans and 85 percent of the corn crop planted in these seeds, according to the USDA. This isn’t controversial. The overwhelming majority of Americans favor GMO labeling. It doesn’t require a direct disclosure on the package of GMO ingredients, however.

Smith is co-chair of the Modern Agriculture Caucus. Industry leaders could seize the opportunity to better align their products with consumer preference and take full advantage of a growing market sector.

David Zuckerman, an organic farmer and Vermont state senator who pushed for the law, said people in his state want to know where their food comes from.

The legislation defines bio-engineered food as having “genetic material that has been modified through in-vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) techniques”.

“This bill, the way it’s been done, it will allow so many things to go through the cracks”, Leahy said.

The bill, authored by Sen.

The association contends that the proposal, which is being touted as a compromise by its sponsors, is far weaker and less transparent than laws approved by state legislatures, including Maine’s.

While many major food companies have already started labeling their products to comply with Vermont’s labeling mandate, under the new federal scheme proposed by the Senators, food makers can change their labels to a QR code.

Still, it said the provision in the draft bill allowing companies to disclose GMO ingredients using a symbol or an internet link printed on the package, which consumers would need to look up to find more on the food’s GMO content, would be “in tension” with FDA’s statute and regulations, which require on-package disclosure.

Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group’s senior vice president for government affairs, said that while it’s “encouraging” that the USDA believes it has the authority to require labels for these ingredients, it should be made clear that it will be mandatory when the final rules are put in place. The bill also contains huge loopholes in the labeling requirement. “The second another state passes its own labeling law, we’re going to have conflict and companies won’t be able to comply with both”.

Larger grocers as well as national food companies like General Mills and Campbell Soup Co. said they’re prepared for Vermont’s law, which was passed in 2014 with a two-year window for companies to prepare. The House bill calls for largely voluntary disclosure and includes no mechanisms for enforcement.