Dive Brief:
- Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin has promised to sign recently passed legislation to require food be labeled when it contains GMO ingredients.
- The move pushes Maine and Connecticut one step forward with similar rules. Those states have already passed GMO-label laws that are designed to not go into effect until surrounding states enact comparable legislation.
- Vermont expects the food industry to mount a legal challenge to the law. The legislation provides for the funding of courtroom battles.
Dive Insight:
Despite the extraordinary amounts of money spent by food industry lobbyists, and the defeat of label laws in California and Washington Sate, the anti-GMO movement continues to advance.
It's unclear though if major manufacturers and their lobbying groups will file lawsuits to stop the Vermont law. A look at the GMO debate in recent months would suggest that food manufacturers are looking to end the war: Some major companies are backing away from GMO ingredients and some of the biggest players in the industry are declining to fund legal and electoral battles any longer.