USA: Vermont expects to be sued for GM labeling law

On 8 May 2014, the Governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin, has signed the GMO labeling bill H.112. This law will require food manufacturers to label GE foods beginning in July 2016. On the same day, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) issued a statement in response, claiming that the new law would be “critically flawed and not in the best interest of consumers. GM crops are safe and have important benefits for people and our planet.” The full statement is available here . More than 300 members belong to the GMA. 

It was now confirmed that the GMA will sue Vermont in federal court to overturn H. 112, the OCA (Organic Consumers Association) reports. Vermont, however, is ready to fight back. A food fight legal defense fund had been set up for online donations.

The GMA is also pushing a bill in Congress that would preempt all states from passing GMO labeling laws by "eliminating confusion". According to the GMA, the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) should be affirmed as the nation's authority for the use and labeling of GM food ingredients. More information on this can also be found in the GMA's statement.

It’s time for consumers in every state to band together to defeat the GMA’s full-on assault, not only on Vermont, not only on consumers’ right to know what’s in food, but on states’ rights and on the basic freedoms to protect health and communities, according to the OCA. As soon as the GMA files a lawsuit against Vermont, the Organic Consumers Association, joined by a growing coalition of public interest groups, will launch a boycott and divestment campaign directed against all of the GMA companies and their thousands of brand name products. More information is available here.