Supporters and opponents of GMO labeling will square up in a courtroom in Burlington, Vermont, today (Jan 7) to present oral arguments over the merits of Act 120, which will require mandatory labeling of foods produced with genetic engineering.

Unlike other GMO labeling laws that have passed in Maine and Connecticut, Act 120 will take effect in July 2016 regardless of action from other states, explaining why food industry associations have chosen Vermont as the venue to mount legal challenge – and why all stakeholders in the GMO debate are watching this case so closely.

The clock is ticking…

The Grocery Manufaturers Association and other trade associations filed a lawsuit last June claiming Act 120 is unconstitutional and preempted by federal law. However, its immediate priority is to secure a preliminary injunction to prevent Vermont from implementing Act 120 until the lawsuit is resolved.

Unless the clock stops, they argue, their members will have to incur significant costs now in order to comply with a law that may later be overturned.

"The clock has already started to run on the time Plaintiffs have to comply with the Act," said the GMA et al in court papers filed last month. "As severla of Plaintiffs' members explained in sworn declarations, they must act now in order to meet the July 2016 deadline."