Vermont's GMO Labeling Law

It is so exciting that Vermont's labeling law passed its legislature with flying colors and genetically modified organisms will be labeled beginning in July. It will be interesting to see not just how the sales come in but whether law suits come to fruition and how much time and money is spent by the large corporate agribusinesses who protested this law.

First, the big thing. Will people buy them anyway?  I think there will be a big dip in sales because really no one wants any GMO foods.  If Vermonters are anything like the people in the European Union, the labeling law will be the end of people eating GMOs in Vermont. The expected reaction by producers will be to actually alter recipes to create non-GMO versions of the same products rather than admit products they had been touting as natural (or even merely implying natural through imagery and earthy packaging) contained GMOs all along. This legislation will save Vermonters from the GMO soybean oil and the GMO corn syrup that flood the processed food market. Not to say that every brand will find an alternative, but the state smart enough to pass the law is one of the nation's healthiest states where a lot of consumers do know better than to eat dangerous foods.  It will be interesting to see the market share and to see whether in fact those with lower income brackets still purchase GMOs in similar quantities. Food manufacturers are starting to warn that foods may become more expensive. This is actually doubtful because large manufacturers have the purchasing power to get cheap ingredients and many of these companies have created GMO-free foods for their European markets already.

A small state is a good start and hopefully the encouragement and enthusiasm will spread leading to more laws passing in some of the 23 states where GMO labeling bills are on the table. Some laws are sitting ready to be triggered by other states passing labeling laws. Those states can learn a lesson about grass-roots support and legislators working on behalf of constituents to accomplish what consumers want. The information never should have been a secret and certainly wonderful brands have been touting their non-GMO ingredients loud and clear with good reason for years.