Vermont Senate Passes GMO Labeling Bill

vermont senateThe Vermont Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would require the labeling of foods made with GMOs, according to Reuters. If passed into law, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2016, making Vermont the first state with this kind of legislation.

Maine and Connecticut passed bills last year that would require other states to pass GMO-labeling laws before activating their respective laws. The Vermont bill does not contain this clause.

The bill coincides with the efforts of developers and marketers of GMO products, who introduced an opposing bill last week to Congress that would block any GMO-labeling law.

“We are really excited Vermont is going to be leading on this,” Falko Schilling, a spokesman for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which backed the pro-labeling bill, told Reuters.

The Senate approved the bill 28-2. It has already passed the state’s House, which will receive the latest version of the bill and will attempt to reconcile differences in key language with the Senate.

There are GMO-labeling bills under consideration in 29 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Even without a legal requirement, a number of beverage brands such as Runa, Mamma Chia and Reed’s have already promoted their non-GMO status.