On Friday, President Barack Obama signed into law a new federal food labeling bill.
The law, passed by Congress two weeks ago, immediately preempts Vermont’s GMO labeling statute, Act 120, which went into effect on July 1.
The federal law requires food manufacturers to put a text, symbol or electronic code on products that contain genetically engineered foods.
Advocates for GMO labeling say the codes are inconvenient for consumers. In order to access the information, consumers need a smartphone and cell service.
The new federal law also preempts a 2004 Vermont statute requiring companies to label GE seeds. The federal rulemaking process will take two years.
The Vermont law required that companies put a simple label on the package indicating whether products have GMO ingredients.
The state’s GMO labeling law, enacted in 2014, was the first in the nation, and has been touted as a signature triumph of the Shumlin administration. A number of other states followed suit with similar legislation, but were waiting to see how the Vermont law fared.
Vermont’s congressional delegation hoped to amend the federal bill, but failed to gain traction as the legislation was fast-tracked through Congress.
In a statement, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., says he remains “concerned that this is a very bad deal for consumers.”
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which sued the state over the labeling requirements, is expected to drop the lawsuit.
In 2015, food manufacturers spent more than $100 million on lobbying in Congress to block GMO labeling, according to the Environmental Working Group.
Advocates say not enough is known about the impact of GMOs on the environment and the human body.
A number of high profile manufacturers, including Campbell’s Soup, Frito-Lay, Kellogg and ConAgra had already begun labeling GMO foods nationwide to comply with Vermont’s law. It’s not clear whether the companies will continue to do so voluntarily.
