Vermont Food Labeling Mandate is Main Ingredient in a Costly Recipe of Confusion

By: Tom Dempsey

The U.S. Senate will soon take up the Biotech Labeling Solutions Act, a critically important piece of legislation that would save Americans and our food system from a disaster created by states passing their own unique laws mandating the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients.

While some activists wage a fear-mongering campaign against GMOs, the science is clear. Every major scientific and health organization that has studied GMOs has concluded that they are save as any other food. Mandating the labeling of foods with GMO ingredients is unnecessary, and leaving it to individual states would be an expensive and logistical nightmare.

This threat is real — and looming. Three states have passed GMO labeling laws: Vermont, Connecticut and Maine, and 20 other state legislatures are now considering their own labeling bills. Vermont’s law will be the first to begin being enforced this July. A closer look at just these three laws demonstrates the confusion that awaits farmers, manufacturers, retailers and shoppers from a state-by-state patchwork approach to food labeling.

For example, the three states have unique exemptions. Vermont’s law includes language requiring the state’s attorney general to produce a report determining whether milk and milk products should be labeled. Maine and Connecticut’s laws are silent on that point. Connecticut and Vermont include exemptions for processing aids used in cheese making and maple syrup production. Maine does not. Dietary supplements are exempted by Vermont, but not Connecticut and Maine.

The three states use different definitions. They even define “food” differently. Vermont defines food as intended for human consumption, while Connecticut includes foods such as chewing gum. Maine’s law only includes a definition for medical food.

The states also take unique approaches to how food should be labeled. Vermont’s law includes requirements for three different labels: “produced with genetic engineering,” “partially produced with genetic engineering,” and “may be produced with genetic engineering.” Maine and Connecticut only have one label: “produced with genetic engineering.”

Vermont, Maine and Connecticut show the inherent problems with a state-by-state approach to food labeling. Consumers will be left confused, not informed. While the struggle for farmers and manufacturers to comply with these different laws will inevitably raise the price of food. With Vermont’s law going into effect in a few months, time is of the essence.

Senator Pat Roberts’ bill is the best chance to preserve America’s food system. The legislation would create a non-discriminatory national labeling standard for food containing GMO ingredients. This simple, common-sense approach would ensure that Americans have access to clear and accurate information, that food prices remain affordable, and that our streamlined food production system remains in place.

As Vermont, Connecticut and Maine have demonstrated, a state-by-state patchwork approach is a recipe for disaster.

Tom Dempsey is the president and CEO of the Snack Foods Association