Vermont Business Magazine On the same day that Governor Peter Shumlin signed the GMO labeling bill with much fanfare (May 8), two major international trade groups issued statements opposing the law, with one stating that it would sue the state, something the Vermont attorney general expected and is already planning for. TheGrocery Manufacturers Association stated that "in the coming weeks" GMA will file suit in federal court against the state of Vermont to overturn the law. Using the same argument as the GMA that genetically modified crops are both safe and environmentally beneficial, theBiotechnology Industry Organization issued a similar statement May 8, but stopped short, for now, of promising to sue the state.
The GMA issued the following statement:
“Today, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law HB 112, a bill that is 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.
“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. In light of this fact, in the coming weeks GMA will file suit in federal court against the state of Vermont to overturn the law.
“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.
"Specifically, HR 4432 would:
- Eliminate Confusion: Remove the confusion and uncertainty of a 50-state patchwork of GMO safety and labeling laws and affirm the FDA as the nation’s authority for the use and labeling of genetically modified food ingredients.
- Advance Food Safety: Require the FDA to conduct a safety review of all new GMO traits before they are introduced into commerce. FDA will be empowered to mandate the labeling of GMO food ingredients if the agency determines there is a health, safety or nutrition issue with an ingredient derived from a GMO.
- Inform Consumers: The FDA will establish federal standards for companies that want to voluntarily label their product for the absence-of or presence-of GMO food ingredients so that consumers clearly understand their choices in the marketplace.
- Provide Consistency: The FDA will define the term “natural” for its use on food and beverage products so that food and beverage companies and consumers have a consistent legal framework that will guide food labels and inform consumer choice.”
Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell has said all along that the state's GMO bill will incur a legal fight. He reiterated that view after the governor signed the bill into law.
“The constitutionality of the GMO labeling law will undoubtedly be challenged,” said Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell. “I can make no predictions or promises about how the courts will ultimately rule but I can promise that my office will mount a vigorous and zealous defense of the law that has so much support from Vermont consumers. I thank the governor and the Legislature for ensuring we have the resources we need to get the job done.”
The Vermont bill creates a special fund to support the implementation and administration of the state labeling law; information on it can be found atwww.foodfightfundvt.org. The state is setting aside $1.5 million to cover legals costs, which Sorrell estimates will cost $1 million if the state wins and upwards of $5 million if it loses.
Meanwhile, Cathleen Enright, Executive Vice President for Food and Agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), issued her organization's response:
“The biotech industry is committed to providing information about how our food is grown and fully supports the voluntary labeling of products to meet specific demands of consumers in the marketplace.
“Unfortunately, when labels are mandated to promote one product over another, as this one in Vermont, the additional cost burden is placed on the state's farmers, food manufacturers, grocers and consumers. Economic studies have shown that such a program could needlessly increase food costs on the average household by as much as $400 per year.
“Scientific bodies and regulatory officials around the world recognize that foods made from genetically modified (GM) crops are as safe as their non-GM counterparts. And these same GM crops have enabled farmers to produce more on less land with fewer pesticide applications, less water and reduced on-farm fuel use.
“State labeling laws such as the one signed into law today demonstrate that the GMO labeling discussion deserves a national solution. Such an approach has been proposed in the U.S. Congress in the form of the bipartisan Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 4432), which appropriately confirms and explicitly places the authority to require food labeling in this area with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”
About GMA
Based in Washington, DC, the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe.
Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders.
In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.www.gmaonline.org.
About BIO
BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces theBIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.BIOtechNOWis BIO's blog chronicling “innovations transforming our world” and the BIO Newsletter is the organization’s bi-weekly email newsletter.Subscribe to the BIO Newsletter.
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Attorney General Sorrell commences GMO labeling rulemaking
With Governor Shumlin signing H112, the law requiring the labeling of foods produced with genetic engineering, Attorney General William Sorrell has begun the process of drafting rules that will facilitate implementation of the law. Over the next several weeks, the Attorney General will begin soliciting input from the public and those who will be affected by the rules, including food processors, grocers and other retailers, the agricultural community, and consumers.
Governor Shumlin signs first-in-the-nation GMO foods labeling law
Thu, 05/08/2014 - 5:04pm--
Joined by farmers, environmental groups, businesses – including Ben & Jerry’s CEO Jostein Solheim -- and others from across the country, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin today signed a first-in-the-nation law requiring the labeling of food produced from genetic engineering.“Vermonters take our food and how it is produced seriously, and we believe we have a right to know what’s in the food we buy,” Shumlin told the crowd gathered on the State House lawn for the signing event. “I am proud that we’re leading the way in the United States to require labeling of genetically engineered food.
PHOTOS: Governor Shumlin speaks before signing the GMO labeling bill in front of the Vermont State House on Thursday May 8, 2014. Attorney General Bill Sorrell.