Governor
Peter Shumlin says 'I am proud of Vermont being the first state to ensure
Vermonters will know what is in their food'
theguardian.com,
Associated Press in Montpelier, Vermont, Thursday 24 April 2014
The use of
GM food has stirred concerns about the dominance of big agribusiness and the
effect on the environment. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Vermont
lawmakers have passed the country's first state bill to require the labeling of
genetically modified foods, underscoring a division between powerful lobbyists
for the US 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 Governor 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. "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 US 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 have proposed bills this year and last 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 already has 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, Vermont, 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 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 v
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," Will Allen, manager of Cedar Circle Farm in
Thetford, said in a statement Wednesday after the House approved the bill.
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