The GMO Battlefield is Heating Up: State Labeling and Big Food’s Efforts to Squash it

Things are getting even more complicated and heated on the GMO front these days, Green Monsters.

Let’s start with the good news. Last week, Maine became the second state in the country to sign its GMO labeling bill. Governor Paul LePage signed the bill “commemoratively,” as the bill won’t become actionable until four surrounding states also pass labeling laws.

“We are thrilled that Governor LePage has signed the GMO labeling bill,” said Ted Quaday,  executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). “MOFGA supporters have worked tirelessly, organizing five different legislative campaigns on this issue since the early 1990s. The time was right for a diverse and collaborative effort to take hold and move the discussion forward. People want and have the right to know what’s in their food.”

Connecticut was the first state to sign its labeling bill last year. For the actual legislation to take effect in Connecticut, all eyes are on the remaining surrounding states, as the state mandates that “four states (including one state which borders Connecticut) must pass a similar bill.  In addition, any combination of northeastern states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania or New Jersey), with a combined population of at least 20 million people, must approve similar legislation.”

For Maine’s law to move to action, bills in five states will need to be passed, including the state of New Hampshire. As we mentioned here on One Green Planet recently, New Hampshire’s bill is being debated as we speak (if you live in New Hampshire, consider making a call about this issue to your representatives.)

Meanwhile, on a national level, a country-wide GMO labeling bill proposal is being debated in Congress. As you can see, there’s a wealth of good news floating around, as activists for GMO labeling are working on all levels for the consumers’ right to know.

On the other side of the battlefield, however, industry giants have launched what is being called a “preemptive strike” by some. According to a report via Politico, “The Grocery Manufacturers Association, on behalf of the food industry, is pitching to Capitol Hill lawmakers a bill that would preempt any state mandatory GMO labeling requirement by creating a voluntary labeling standard.”

While any labeling standard, voluntary or not, might seem like a step in the right direction, others are not so convinced. The Environmental Working Group, for example, has suggested that such a move would actually impose limitations on mandatory labeling at the state level.

“Clearly, this is an industry that will stop at nothing to hide from its customers basic information on what’s in their food,” Ken Cook, EWG’s president, said in a press release. “If this proposal were to become law, it would make it impossible for any state to require labeling of [GMO] foods, even if an overwhelming majority of its residents demand it.”

So, in other words, this probably isn’t the answer, either.

Looking back at current movements at the state level, now that Connecticut and Maine are definitely on track with GMO labeling, momentum is gaining across the country. Vermont has been moving fast to propose action within its borders, as have activists in both Colorado and Oregon. And that’s not all, Green Monsters: according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 30 states have started work on labeling initiatives. Isn’t that great?

If you’re wondering what you can do now to help move labeling initiatives along in your own state or at the federal level, check out information on the site, Just Label It, where you can find out about state plans, contact the FDA, and learn even more about what you can do to effect change at multiple levels.  If we continue to band together in favor of the consumers’ right to know, we can (and already are) making a real difference.

Image Source: James Palinsad/Flickr