Litigation Fodder

With Vermont now having opened the door as the first state in the country to pass a state bill that will require the labeling of genetically modified foods it’s probably a safe bet to assume that other states will now fall like dominos in passing their own GMO labeling legislation, even though attempts at such legislation has failed in the past. The worry over a patchwork quilt of state legislation regarding GMO labeling is now very real. I am not in any way, shape, or form an expert on GMO foods, but I do agree that a national patchwork quilt of state legislation on GMO food labeling would be extremely confusing and detrimental to farmers, retailers and consumers alike. Those in support of the legislation say that it doesn’t make a stand on whether GMO’s are good or bad, but the Vermont legislation does say that “genetically modified foods potentially pose risks to health, safety, agriculture, and the environment”, even though there hasn’t been any scientific evidence to support such a statement to date. Of course the measure has to be signed by Vermont’s Governor, but that’s expected to happen - just like a volley of litigation is expected to be following soon after.