Should GMO labeling in Maine remain contingent on neighboring states’ laws?

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.

Maine got it right two years ago, when the Legislature passed a law requiring labels for food products that contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, as soon as New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut do the same.

The law puts Maine on record as holding in high regard the right of consumers to know what is in their food and to support food producers whose methods they agree with.

But the supporters of the 2014 law also understood that foods containing GMOs pose no health risks, and that there are real costs associated with forcing mandatory labels in one small state and viable alternatives available to consumers until the other states in the region pass their own laws.

Nothing’s changed since then, except for further confirmation of the safety of foods containing GMOs. So it remains unnecessary to eliminate the trigger clause – the part of the labeling mandate that relies on other states – as proposed in a new bill, L.D. 991. . .

Unfortunately, the spread of false claims against GMOs may make labels confusing to consumers, who could decide to opt for more expensive options based solely on the hint that they are unsafe. . .

In a state where so many people are struggling to pay for food, there’s no reason to risk burdening food retailers and driving up costs – or to invite an inevitable court challenge on constitutional grounds, as is happening in Vermont – by instituting mandatory, Maine-only labeling. No health risk is at hand, and thousands of products already carry a label through the Non-GMO Project.

Read full, original post: Our View: No reason Maine should speed up GMO labeling

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