Barring late action by Congress or an eleventh-hour ruling from a federal appeals court, Vermont will soon become the first state in the U.S. to implement a mandatory GMO-labeling regime. Originally enacted in 2014, the law, formally known as Act 120, is slated to go into effect on July 1, 2016. Although this law has been the subject of major controversy within the food industry, the law exempts a number of major food categories from mandatory labeling, including most food products containing meat and poultry.
The organic food industry, anti-biotechnology activists and some consumer groups have pushed for mandatory disclosure of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients for more than a decade. Thus far, their efforts to pressure Congress, FDA or USDA to enact a federal standard have failed. As an alternative, these groups have turned to state houses and ballot initiatives to advance mandatory labeling. While ballot initiatives have failed in California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado, pro-labeling activists have enjoyed some success in New England state legislatures. Vermont, Maine and Connecticut have all passed mandatory labeling legislation. However, Vermont’s Act 120 is the only state labeling law that is slated to go into effect; Maine and Connecticut’s laws have a trigger clause that requires a critical mass of other states to adopt similar measures before their laws become effective.