Agricultural, food and beverage companies have spent millions of dollars to defeat legislation in New York state that would require labels on food containing ingredients from genetically modified crops, highlighting the state’s key role in the debate about what Americans should know about the products they consume.
Supporters are mounting a final push for the proposal as state lawmakers work to wrap up their session. A vote on the bill hasn’t been scheduled, but both sides say the stakes are too high to assume the bill is dead for the year until lawmakers end the session. Opponents spent $3.7 million last year on campaign donations and lobbying in an effort to block the legislation, according to a report issued by the New York Public Interest Research Group and other groups supporting the labeling requirement. That’s more than seven times the amount spent by supporters.
Vermont, Maine and Connecticut have already adopted label laws, though the Maine and Connecticut laws require other neighboring states to follow suit before the laws are enacted. If New York moves to require labels, Connecticut’s law will automatically take effect. With a population of 20 million, New York could send a strong signal to the more than two dozen other states where labeling legislation has been introduced.
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Read the full, original article: New York is a central battleground in national debate over genetically modified food labeling
