Vermont Governor Pat Shumlin intends to sign this week the recently passed legislation that would require the labeling of foods that contain ingredients that are genetically modified (GMOs) or produced with genetic engineering. The governor’s office announced via Twitter that the signing will take place Thursday, May 8. Once the bill is signed, Vermont will become the first state to require mandatory GMO labeling.
The Vermont House approved the bill as amended by the Senate by a vote of 114-30 on April 24. The proposed effective date is July 1, 2016.
It is estimated that 80 percent of all food sold in the United States is at least partially produced from genetic engineering. The bill would require labeling on all such food sold at retail in Vermont, regardless of whether the food was manufactured in the state. Vermont lawmakers included a $1.5 million legal defense fund in the bill because they expect the law to face legal challenges after the signing.
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