Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said earlier this week that it will be difficult for Congress to reach a deal on the labeling of products that contain genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) before Vermont’s law takes effect in July this summer.
Congress last week could not advance a bill to ban states from establishing their own GMO labeling laws. Instead it would create a voluntary program where producers could put “smart labels” on their products. In a failed attempt to attract Democratic support, food companies would have three years to bring 70 percent of its products into compliance or the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be allowed to make the labeling requirement mandatory.
If Vermont’s labeling law withstands a legal challenge, proponents say it could give momentum to other measures being considered by other states. Food companies say that the cost of complying with multiple state laws would be passed onto consumers.
“It’s going to be very difficult to get such a bipartisan agreement, and I wouldn’t be surprised that what you are going to find is some food companies that think the business for 600,000 people in Vermont is probably not worth it, and they’ll quit doing business there,” Senator Grassley said. Senator Grassley also said he does not think that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is going to hold another vote when Congress returns from Easter recess, unless there are 60 votes to stop debate and advance the bill.
Meanwhile, the Kellogg Company, Mars, and General Mills have announced plans to start complying with Vermont’s GMO labeling requirements. Kellogg said, barring congressional action on GMO labeling, the company’s labels will start carrying the words “produced with genetic engineering.” The labels, which could appear as early as mid-April, will be nationwide, not just in Vermont. Mars and Kellogg stated they had no plans to reformulate products to avoid GMOs.
