“I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food. The Legislature has spoken loud and clear through its passage of this bill,” said Governor Peter Shumulin in a statement following the bill’s passing. “I wholeheartedly agree with them and look forward to signing this bill into law.”
Labeling will go into effect July 1, 2016, and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office will oversee the rules surrounding the labeling on packaging.
Vermont House Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Partridge said “Our constituents have spoken. They feel it’s important to know what’s in their food.”
Unlike bills passed in Maine and Connecticut which will go into effect if other states pass similar measures, Vermont’s bill requires labeling independently of other state’s policies.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association is considering a lawsuit against the state for unconstitutional infringement of the companies’ free speech.
Click here to read more about Vermont’s bill.
Meanwhile, a bill that would invalidate the legislation pending in Vermont and measures already passed in Connecticut and Maine, was introduced into the U.S. House earlier this month. The bill by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., would ban states from passing food labeling laws, according to an article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
A food labeling bill is also being considered in Minnesota, home to General Mills, which has a lot of products that contain GMOs. General Mills approves the U.S. House bill and national labeling standards, and joined in the efforts to defeat food labeling bills in California and Washington, which cost the food industry $69 million.
“A patchwork of labels that would differ from state to state based on differing state-based standards would be confusing and costly for companies and consumers alike,” General Mills Vice President Tom Forsythe told the Star Tribune. “The national organic standard is an excellent model, in our view. Organic certification and labeling standards were established at the national level — not state by state — and certified organic means the same thing everywhere you shop.”
Consumer groups have formed Just Label It, gathering 1.4 million signatures calling for labeling rules similar to those passed in Europe.
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune and Burlington Free Press reports