Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin issued the following statement after the US House of Representatives passed legislation today that would block Vermont from enforcing its mandatory GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) labeling law. Shumlin said Vermont is serving as "ground zero in the fight to institute GMO labeling," and in 2014 the Vermont legislature passed a law to require labeling starting in July 2016.
The House passed, 275-150, The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, which instead creates a federal standard for the voluntary labeling of foods with GMO ingredients. A law, if ultimately signed by the president, would trump any action to require mandatory labeling by the FDA.
The governor signs Vermont's GMO bill in May 2014.
“Monsanto and their corporate food allies have millions of dollars to dedicate to this fight, and today’s vote shows that they are quite skilled in using those vast resources to buy votes in Congress. But here is what Monsanto will never be able to do: Win this fight. Millions of Americans are demanding the right to know what is in their food. And every time Monsanto fights tooth and nail to deny people that right, all they do is grow the ranks of ordinary Americans who are willing to stand up and fight. So this message is for Monsanto: Bring it on. You may have the money, but we have the people. And the people always win.
“I want to thank Congressman Peter Welch for fighting so hard against this bill. In Vermont we are lucky to have a congressional delegation that understands that giving people the right to know what is in their food is simply common sense.”