Dive Brief:
- The state of Vermont has confirmed it will be targeting "willful" violators of its mandatory GMO labeling law, set to go into effect July 1 — less than 80 days away.
- The attorney general's office won't be focusing on foods and beverages produced and distributed before July 1 that are still on shelves but don't bear a GMO label. This is because many of these products are shelf-stable with a long shelf life. These products will have a six-month grace period to move through the system.
- The state will charge violators with civil fines of up to $1,000 per product, per day, not based on the product's number of individual packages.
Dive Insight:
Vermont's GMO labeling law comes with a long list of exemptions, ranging from meat and eggs to products that require USDA approval. Many in the industry, such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association, feel this complicates application of the law. It also feels this further demonstrates the need for a national labeling standard.
Biotech industry representatives' visits to Capitol Hill this week could bring a national GMO labeling standard back to the forefront, reports Politico. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts' (R-KS) ultimate vision still stands in opposition to the on-packaging disclosure requested by many Senate Democrats. Roberts told AgriTalk radio that he believes Democrats from agricultural states may feel pressure to vote in support of his national standard.
But if Congress can't come to an agreement, manufacturers will have to comply with GMO labeling requirements specifically for the Vermont market (unless they are one of the manufacturers that have already committed to voluntarily labeling GM ingredients).
Whether companies will actually choose to be "willful" violators is up for debate due to the costs involved. Vermont's civil fines are steep, and manufacturers that stock hundreds or thousands of products at grocery stores and other retailers across the state could face upwards of five or six figures' worth of fines each day, if not more (For example, one company's 5 SKUs at 30 count each means 150 unlabeled products, or $150,000 per day).