Vermont became the first state to sign a law requiring labels for all GMO foods, the Burlington (VT.) Free Press reported.
The law, signed Thursday by Governor Peter Shumlin, demands labeling for foods made from genetically modified organisms. Maine and Connecticut passed laws requiring labels for GMO foods, however those only take effect if other states pass similar laws. Vermont's law is the first that was not made on the condition that other states do the same, the newspaper reported.
"Vermonters will have the right to know what's in their food," Shumlin said, Reuters reported. "We are pro-information. Vermont gets it right with this bill."
But Vermont's law may not make it to 2016 if federal lawmakers and food manufacturers have their way. Republicans on Capitol Hill are currently working on a law that would make it illegal for any state to pass a law requiring labels for genetically modified food.
The state could also be sued by food manufacturers that claim using genetically modified organisms is safe. They say the labels would make the public have an unfair bias against the food, the Burlington (VT.) Free Press reported.
"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," Cathleen Enright, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said according to Reuters.
Even supporters of the law, who say genetically modified organisms are unhealthy to consume, acknowledge the state will most likely face a lawsuit. But until then, supporters are celebrating the labeling law, showing up by the hundreds to see the governor sign the bill on the Statehouse steps.
In the meantime, the state's Attorney General's Office is working on the specifics of the labeling law before it goes into effect in 2016, according to the Burlington (VT.) Free Press.
