Dive Brief:
- Musician Neil Young is showing his support for Vermont's mandatory GMO labeling bill by donating $100 million to the Vermont Food Fight Fund, a fund that aims to protect the law from legal action by other parties.
- One such party is the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn the bill before it is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2016.
- Young hopes to inspire others to donate money to protect the law as well. "I'm just a rock 'n' roller who believes people should know what they’re eating," Young said.
Dive Insight:
As with Costco last week, this is another example of the exposure a celebrity can generate. If Young does end up inspiring wealthy donors to support GMO labeling in Vermont, it could be helpful for the cause and future of the bill.
Young is also speaking out against certain entities in the food industry. Young is touring to promote his new album, "The Monsanto Years", which takes a stance against Monsanto Co. His songs support his position that Monsanto and its genetically modified products negatively impact the agricultural industry, particularly farmers and consumers. Monsanto responded, and company spokeswoman Kelly Clauss told the Associated Press in an email, "We recognize there is a lot of misinformation about who we are and what we do — and unfortunately several of those myths are captured in his lyrics."