{"id":5191,"date":"2016-04-27T22:04:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T22:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/organicconsumers.org\/blog\/gmo-labeling-victory-within-our-grasp\/"},"modified":"2016-04-27T22:04:00","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T22:04:00","slug":"gmo-labeling-victory-within-our-grasp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/organicconsumers.org\/gmo-labeling-victory-within-our-grasp\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a GMO Labeling Victory within Our Grasp?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oh, to be a fly on the wall inside the offices of the top lobbyists for the Grocery Manufacturers Association.<\/p>\n

So close to the July 1 deadline for complying with Vermont\u2019s GMO labeling law, and still no court ruling to overturn Vermont\u2019s law. Still no federal legislation to preempt Vermont\u2019s law.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of millions of dollars spent to keep labels off GMO ingredients. Lawsuits, dirty tricks, shady schemes\u2014all, so far, for naught. Meanwhile, food corporations are labeling<\/a>, or announcing plans to label, and preparing to implement those plans. Others, including Dannon<\/a>, will remove GMO ingredients from their products.<\/p>\n

Is victory really within our grasp this time?<\/p>\n

The closer we get to July 1, the closer we are to winning the battle of all labeling battles. Which is all the more reason to keep up the pressure, on all fronts.<\/p>\n

Can U.S. Senate put together a deal before July 1?<\/strong><\/p>\n

So far, efforts by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) to pass a federal law which would preempt Vermont\u2019s mandatory labeling law have failed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But we haven\u2019t heard the end of the DARK\u2014Deny Americans the Right to Know\u2014Act. At least not yet.<\/p>\n

Politico reports that Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on April 26, told a gathering of the North American Agricultural Journalists, \u201cThere could be a deal\u201d before July 1. According to Politico, Stabenow said: \u201cWe’ve offered some very specific language and there is a lot of support for it.”<\/p>\n

Stabenow didn\u2019t divulge what that \u201cvery specific language\u201d was, or who among those who have so far voted against the DARK Act might go for this new language. But our sources tell us Stabenow is pushing for the same old QR code and\/or 1-800 telephone numbers that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has proposed\u2014but with one difference. Stabenow wants those QR codes to be mandatory, not voluntary.<\/p>\n

Will Roberts, who so far has adamantly opposed any option that actually requires labels, cave? If Stabenow\u2019s version also includes a plan that would delay implementation of Vermont\u2019s law?<\/p>\n

Stabenow is in a tight spot. Nine out of 10 of her constituents want labels on GMOs, and they\u2019ve been relentlessly vocal about that. But she\u2019s under tremendous pressure<\/a> from industry\u2014including Michigan\u2019s GMO sugar beet growers who fear food companies will switch to sugar cane rather than label\u2014to stop Vermont\u2019s law in its tracks.<\/p>\n

The clock is ticking. But it hasn\u2019t run out. The worst thing we can do now is be silent. It\u2019s more critical than ever that we keep the pressure on<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What happens in Vermont doesn\u2019t stay in Vermont<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back in Vermont, things heated up last week as the food industry looked for ways to stall and weaken Vermont\u2019s Act 120<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, here\u2019s what happened, as explained by Nancy Remsen in this April 25 report<\/a>. The Vermont Retail & Grocers Association wanted to tweak the Vermont law, to the advantage of food companies (not consumers, of course). Specifically, the industry group wanted: 1) to prevent consumers from suing if they find non-labeled products on store shelves during the 18 months immediately after the law takes effect on July 1; and 2) to exempt food prepared in stores (think potato salad, sandwiches and baked goods).<\/p>\n

How did industry plan to make changes to a law passed two years ago, and set to take effect in two months? By attaching them to the state\u2019s budget bill\u2014a bill lawmakers want wrapped up and passed by May 6, when the legislative session is due to end.<\/p>\n

OCA and other groups called on our networks to let Vermont lawmakers know we expect them to stand strong against any attempts to weaken or delay Vermont\u2019s law. We generated more than 500 calls to the Vermont State House because the future of the GMO labeling movement now comes down to upholding Vermont\u2019s Act 120\u2014a bill the national movement fought for and helped pass.<\/p>\n

In the end, the Vermont Senate\u2019s appropriations bill included a provision to delay the possibility of consumer lawsuits, by one year (January 1, 2018) instead of the 18 months industry requested. (The states\u2019 attorney general retains the power to enforce the law beginning January 1, 2017, as specified in Act 120, and has said<\/a> he will do so). Because the House version of the budget didn\u2019t include the provision delaying consumer lawsuits, the final decision will have to be made when the House and Senate meet to negotiate a final bill.<\/p>\n

Monsanto still fiercely protecting its right to deceive<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Big Food has been tinkering with the Vermont law, the state\u2019s attorney general has been trying to pry incriminating evidence out of the hands of Monsanto and other biotech and food corporations. And that move may just work to the benefit of consumers who want labels.<\/p>\n

According to Food Dive, Attorney General William Sorrell wants \u201cmajor seed and food companies\u201d to hand over internal research on GMO crops. The request comes as part of the GMA\u2019s lawsuit, filed nearly two years ago.
Food Dive reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Requested research includes those related to “potential health or environmental impacts” of GMO crops and the pesticides used on them (from Monsanto, DuPont, and Syngenta). It also includes “consumer survey research” from the past decade about GMO foods and the use of the term “natural” on their product labels (from ConAgra, Kellogg, and Frito-Lay North America).<\/p>\n

We think it’s a safe bet that the GMA and Monsanto probably realize that they are better off labeling their products in compliance with Vermont’s law, than risking the public release of their own potentially incriminating research on the health impacts of GMO crops and the pesticides used to grow them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing for the World Health Organization to come out with the determination that glyphosate and Monsanto\u2019s Roundup are probably carcinogenic<\/a>. It\u2019s quite another if word gets out that Monsanto has known this all along\u2014but kept the information to itself. The latter is clear grounds for legal action.<\/p>\n

Katherine Paul is associate director of the Organic Consumers Association<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ronnie Cummins is international director of the Organic Consumers Association<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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