Posted on 05/11/2014 12:01:22 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
(CNN) -- Vermont's governor on Thursday signed a bill into law that will require the labeling of genetically modified foods -- hailing it as the first such law in the nation.
Under the new law, food offered for retail sale that is entirely or partially produced with genetic engineering must be labeled as such by July 2016.
"Vermonters take our food and how it is produced seriously, and we believe we have a right to know what's in the food we buy," said Gov. Peter Shumlin. "More than 60 countries have already restricted or labeled these foods, and now one state -- Vermont -- will also ensure that we know what's in the food we buy and serve our families."
In the absence of federal action, other states have introduced similar legislation or ballot initiatives, according to the non-profit Center for Food Safety.
Maine and Connecticut passed laws requiring labeling, but they won't go into effect until other states pass GMO-labeling laws. Vermont is the first to pass a "no strings attached" bill, the watchdog group said.
Supporters of the law expect it will be challenged in court.
"I can make no predictions or promises about how the courts will ultimately rule but I can promise that my office will mount a vigorous and zealous defense of the law that has so much support from Vermont consumers," said Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell.
The governor tweeted: "Those opposed will put up a fight. Help us fight back."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
That's not exactly true. While there has been no "headline" grabbing government intervention of late, every little tiny regulation or fee or tax imposed by government causes the cost of doing business to increase. Transportation issues alone are a huge cost, and that is regulated and feed and taxed through the roof.
While I like the labeling, I prefer it as the result of the free market. I’m not a fan of Big Gov forcing this.
This is what federalism is good for: Vermonters want it marked, and they can require that.
With some of the decisions Big Gov has made about our food, there could be an argument for this. As I previously stated, I’d much rather this be the result if the free market. However, we must take into consideration that CONgress recently voted to allow chicken processed in China to be sold in the US. The same country in which dangerous ingredients have been mixed with everything from baby formula to pet food. If CONgress allows this, they must be required to label it as such. I don’t want to buy it.
Govt intrusion? where how
Its fun to piss those restaurant people off that look at food as ‘product’ instead of food.
Yeah its a shame we want to know whats in our food. A gol darn shame.
So much easier when the food companies can hide their crap.
Who’s buying the pols off? The factory food companies.
It's meaningless.
/johnny
Yeah its going to drive up the costs so much that they might have to change the label they change all the time anyway.
yeah thats the ticket
of course it might effect sales of GMO products, thats the real concern.
Yeah, you're right, half the people on FR will oppose such labeling and prefer that Big Brother decide what information consumers should or should not have.
It's amazing how some so-called conservatives get confused and think crony capitalism where Big Food and Big Government get together and withhold information from consumers is somehow government intrusion.
It's crony capitalism and the consumer is the loser as usual when CC makes the rules.
A vague GMO label is meaningless by itself.
/johnny
Sure they aren’t all equal.
Some genetic modifications are the result of selective breeding.
Some are the result of mixing spider DNA with goat DNA.
I’d like to know whether my strawberries have been genetically modified with spider goo. Or my corn flakes.
So don’t make it vague.
Pretty simple solution, next.
/johnny
/johnny
Yep—the whole agribusiness complex.
They’re a good contributor of Congress moving toward amnesty, too.
They’ll know if there are genetically engineered ingredients in the product.
It's a vague label, and as such, meaningless.
/johnny
It doesn't seem to put them out when they change the labeling after reducing the amount of product in the package instead of raising the prices. I don't think adding a few words is going to drive General Mills out of business.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.