MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont lawmakers have passed the
country’s first state bill to require the labeling of genetically
modified foods as such, setting up a war between powerful lobbyists for
the behemoth U.S. food industry and an American public that
overwhelmingly says it approves of the idea.
The Vermont House
approved the measure Wednesday evening, about a week after the state
Senate, and Gov. Peter Shumlin said he plans to sign it. The
requirements would take effect July 1, 2016, giving food producers time
to comply.
Shumlin praised the vote and said he looked forward to signing the bill.
"I
am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure
that Vermonters will know what is in their food," he said in a
statement.
Genetically modified organisms — often used in crop
plants — have been changed at their genetic roots to be resistant to
insects, germs or herbicides. The development in Vermont is important
because it now puts the U.S. on the map of governments taking a stance
against a practice that has led to bountiful crops and food production
but has stirred concerns about the dominance of big agribusiness and the
potential for unforeseen effects on the natural environment. Some
scientists and activists worry about potential effects on soil health
and pollination of neighboring crops.
Twenty-nine other states
this year and last have proposed bills to require genetically modified
organism — or GMO — labeling, according to the National Conference of
State Legislatures. Two other New England states have passed laws to
require GMO labeling, but the legislation takes effect only when
neighboring states also approve the requirement. They are Maine and
Connecticut; neither neighbor Vermont.
The European Union has
already restricted the regulation, labeling and sale of GMO foods.
Several credible polls have found that Americans overwhelmingly favor
the notion of labeling genetically modified foods. Organic farmers and
others are praising Vermont’s move, while the Washington, D.C.-based
Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food producers,
called it a step in the wrong direction.
As farmers, Katie Spring
and her husband are proud of how they grow their greens, carrots,
potatoes, peppers and herbs and raise their chickens and pigs at their
Worcester, Vt., farm and are willing to answer questions from customers.
As eaters, Spring feels like she and her customers have the right to
know what’s in their food, whether it’s saturated fat or genetically
modified organisms, which they don’t use on their farm.
But the industry is stridently opposed.
"It
sets the nation on a costly and misguided path toward a 50-state
patchwork of GMO labeling policies that will do nothing to advance the
safety of consumers," the grocers’ association said in a statement.
The
association is disappointed that Vermont is going at it alone and had
hoped for a regional approach. Trying to have 50 different state rules
about what goes on food packaging "gets very costly, very confusing and
very difficult for the entire food industry to comply with," said the
association’s president, Jim Harrison.
But others are praising
Vermont as a leader, even though they expect the law to spark lawsuits.
The bill includes a $1.5 million fund to be used to implement the law
and provide legal defense against lawsuits expected to be brought by
food and biotech industries.
"Every Vermonter has a right to know
what is in their food," said Shap Smith, speaker of the Vermont House.
"Genetically engineered foods potentially pose risks to human health and
the environment. I am proud to be the first state in the nation to
recognize that people deserve to know whether the food they consume is
genetically modified or engineered."
But the federal Food and Drug
Administration and an industry group known as BIO, for Biotechnology
Industry Organization, say there’s no material difference between food
produced with genetic engineering.
The Vermont legislation says
there is a lack of consensus among scientific studies on the safety of
genetically modified foods, and no long-term epidemiological studies in
the United States examining their effects. Genetically modified foods
"potentially pose risks to health, safety, agriculture, and the
environment," the legislation says.
The Grocery Manufacturers
Association is urging policymakers to support federal legislation that
would require a label on foods containing such ingredients if the FDA
finds there is a health or safety risk. But many farmers see it as a
David-vs.-Goliath victory.
"This vote is a reflection of years of
work from a strong grassroots base of Vermonters who take their food and
food sovereignty seriously and do not take kindly to corporate
bullies," said Will Allen, manager of Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, in a
statement Wednesday after the House approved the bill.
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