Grocery Manufacturers Assn Files Suit To Overturn Vermont's GM Labeling Law

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has recently announced that it plans to file suit in federal court to overturn the new Vermont law that requires the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Vermont has become the first state in the nation to require the labeling of products containing GMOs. California and Washington residents both have defeated referendums calling for such labeling, while Connecticut and Maine have passed laws calling for GMO labeling contingent on enough other states passing similar laws. The Vermont law would take effect in 2016.

In its statement, GMA said that the law was "critically flawed and not in the best interests of consumers. 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."

And, GMA went on: ""GM crops are safe and have important benefits for people and our planet. They use less water and fewer pesticides, reduce crop prices by 15-30 percent and can help us feed a growing global population of seven billion people. The FDA, World Health Organization, American Medical Association and U.S. National Academy of Science have all found that foods and beverages that contain GM ingredients are safe and materially no different than conventionally produced products.

"Consumers who prefer to avoid GM ingredients have the option to choose from an array of products already in the marketplace labeled 'certified organic.' The government therefore has no compelling interest in warning consumers about foods containing GM ingredients, making this law's legality suspect at best.

"We encourage policymakers in Vermont and across the nation to support alternative legislation that would ensure that food labels are accurate and consistent for consumers. Bipartisan federal legislation, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, HR 4432, would require a label on foods containing GM ingredients if the FDA - our nation's foremost food safety authority - determines there is a health or safety risk. Any labeling of GM ingredients would therefore be based on science, not fear or the varying politics of the 50 states."