GMA To File Suit Against Vermont To Eliminate New GMO Label Law

by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

The GMO battle between the people and corporate greed rages on.  In the glaring absence of a federal GMO label law to uphold the peoples' right to know what is in our food, the state of Vermont has led the way by passing our country's first state GMO label law.  Certainly one would think that it is reasonable for a state to take action to protect its people, when our President fails to stand by his promise to do so.  But reasonableness does not necessarily apply when it comes to corporate greed.

As anticipated, the Grocery Manufacturers' Association (GMA) has formally announced their plans to undo the good work of the state of Vermont.  The GMA issued a statement yesterday on May 8, 2014, declaring, 

"Today, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law HB 112, a bill that is critically flawed and not in the best interests of consumers.  It sets the nation on a costly and misguided path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies that will do nothing to advance the safety of consumers."

The statement continued, "Consumers who prefer to avoid GM ingredients have the option to choose from an array of products already in the marketplace labeled 'certified organic.'  The government therefore has no compelling interest in warning consumers about foods containing GM ingredients, making this law's legality suspect at best.  In light of this fact, in the coming weeks GMA will file suit in federal court against the state of Vermont to overturn the law."

As part of their statement, the GMA encouraged policymakers in Vermont to support the so called Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, which would require GMO foods to be labeled only if the FDA determines there is a health or safety risk.  The GMA purported that it is in this way that, "Any labeling of GM ingredients would therefore be based on science, not fear… ."

Read the full article at www.liattorney.com/scales-of-justice.html.