Dive Brief:
- The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn Vermont's GMO-labeling law.
- The GMA argues that the new law is unnecessary and adds an undue financial burden upon food manufacturers. The state argues that GMO disclosure is a common-sense approach to address consumers' safety concerns.
- The battle over Vermont is particularly important to both sides. Maine and Connecticut have already passed laws that require label,s. But both of those states' laws won't go into effect until neighboring states pass laws. New York, which borders both Vermont and Connecticut, is weighing a law of its own.
Dive Insight:
The move by GMA was widely expected. And given the cost that the industry could incur from GMO label laws, it was understandable.
But as we've noted before, the debate over bio-engineered food has changed. And the industry is no longer unified in its opposition to transparency.
Consumers, the people of Vermont, and the GMA will just have to wait to see how federal courts feel about the issue.