Advocates say it is a signal achievement in consumer rights. Vermont Right to Know GMOs and other groups are planning a celebration on the Statehouse lawn this afternoon.
But it’s not clear how much change the average consumer will immediately notice.
The Vermont Office of the Attorney General says that because many packaged foods have long shelf lives, regulators are essentially granting a six-month grace period. Until January 1, improperly labeled foods will be assumed to have been packaged and distributed before today, and manufacturers will not be held liable if the labels are not in compliance.
(Just what the heck is a GMO? Vermont Public Radio posted a good explainer last week.)
The Associated Press reported that large companies such as General Mills and Campbell’s have printed and shipped labels complying with the law and foresee no problems.
Coca-Cola has said that some of its smaller brands could be temporarily unavailable in Vermont. And WCAX reported that Price Chopper confirmed that more than 3,000 products would not be stocked in their Vermont stores, including some products from Del Monte Foods, Hostess Brands, Chicken of the Sea and Heinz.
Jack Garvin, chairman of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores, said his members are still trying to understand the law.
“We are on a fact-finding mission,” Garvin said. “We will be impacted. We’re just trying to find out from our suppliers what is genetically modified and from there we will do appropriate signage, but there hasn’t been a whole lot of inquiries [from customers].”
Garvin owns the Warren Store. He said that following guidance from the attorney general’s office, he has posted signs labeling some of his prepared foods as genetically modified. Sandwiches and baked goods that are prepared in the store and put on the shelf for sale must be labeled if they contain GMOs, Garvin said. But foods that are prepared to go do not, he said.
Meanwhile, Vermont’s GMO law is still threatened. A bipartisan U.S. Senate GMO bill — one seen as more lax than Vermont’s, and favored by food manufacturers — would preempt Vermont’s law. Some argue that state-by-state labeling laws across the country will be unwieldy.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said this week that he will put a “hold” on the bill, a procedural maneuver that prevents it from advancing unless it gets at least 60 votes. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says he is opposed to the bill, which would allow manufacturers to provide GMO information by labeling products with codes that consumers could scan via smartphone, or to provide phone numbers for information.
Further, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and other industry groups have sued to block Vermont’s law. The case is still pending.
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Meanwhile, Price Chopper says that it will lose 3,000 food products today because the manufacturers of those products won’t ship them into Vermont.
http://www.wcax.com/story/32354485/price-c…
Thanks for this well thought out plan, Vermont Legislature.
Ya know if we genetically modified Broccoli Boy he might make a halfway decent Lite Gov.
Better living through chemistry.
Oh, I think Dave “Free Marijuana For Everyone” Zuckerman already has plenty of chemistry in his body.
I’d like to offer you some wine to go with your GMO cheese. The added bonus is you have to eat it in another state.
Apparently you don’t know that dairy, cheese, and processing aids, such as rennet, are exempt from Vermont’s GMO labeling law. Just another one of the many, many things that you do not know.
That doesn’t change the fact that you are whining, as usual.
Me whining? Hmm. Let’s see.
Whining constantly about anything and everything Mayor Weinberger does (and calling him names)? Nope. That was you.
Whining about any and all development in Burlington? Nope. You.
Whining about anyone who complains about teacher salaries and benefits? You.
Whining about no free healthcare? You.
Whining about Democratic Primary rules and the delegate system? You.
Whining about all things that the Burlington Police do? Nope. That’s you.
Whining that the media supposedly didn’t cover Bernie’s primary wins? You.
Whining about Senator Leahy because he’s not voting for Bernie? Nope. It was you.
Whining constantly about Hillary and alleging that she rigged her primary wins? You.
Whining about the Burlington Town Center Mall project? You.
Whining about Obama? You.
The only thing I’ve whined about is your constant whining.
You need a life, or at least a friend. Try Donna. She seems to have a lot of the same thoughts as you.
Right back at ya, sad-person-who-complains-about-everything.
A guy as smart as you claim to be uses the old “I know you are but what am I” for a response? Good lord.
As far as GMO labeling, I don’t care how many products are pulled from Price Chopper. If a company can’t tell you what’s in it, you shouldn’t eat it and there is no way the company that won’t tell you what’s in it should be writing the laws of telling you what’s in it.
Another genius.
They DO tell you what’s in it:
Corn.
Soybeans.
Sugar.
If you say you’re going to avoid GMOs when they’re labeled you’re a liar or a dope. They’re in 90% of what’s in the supermarket and have been for years. Unless you’ve been eating only 100% organic since 1996, you’ve been eating food produced from GMO crops for years.