People generally decry Congress for the glacial rate at which it addresses the pressing issues of our time, but if so, we should be proud at the haste with which they acted to counter Vermont’s GMO-labeling law. Vermont’s law only went into effect on July 1, requiring all purveyers of food products to disclose on their label if they contain genetically modified ingredients. A mere 30 days later, a federal replacement was signed, sealed, and delivered: Obama signed into law the so-called DARK Act, passed by both houses of Congress just this month, that supercedes and negates Vermont’s law, and according to critics, significantly waters down GMO labeling nationwide.
The DARK Act, aka Deny Americans the Right to Know (a re-labeling of the federal GMO labeling law by food safety activists), is so named for its obfuscational handling of the labeling of food containing GMO ingredients. Under the provisions of the DARK Act, food companies can disclose their usage of GMO ingredients on the label, as is the case in Vermont, or by adding a QR Code that can be read by some smart phones, or by referring shoppers to a web site or phone line. Critics of the law say it was crafted by the food industry, led by Monsanto, to allow food producers to hide their use of widely distrusted genetically modified ingredients behind codes and URLs that most shoppers will never have time or the means to follow up on. In short, it’s labeling by not labeling.
Was Vermont’s law threatening to the food industry? Apparently so. But the damage is done. The passage of the DARK Act guarantees that more people will hear about GMO labeling, and while most Americans will likely continue to eat the same foods as before, others will choose to avoid GMO products. Currently, the best way to do that is to eat organic foods or to look for the Non-GMO label now in use voluntarily by food producers that do not use GMOs.
All the same, score one for agribusiness – they definitely won this round. Vermont’s on-label labeling law has been pre-empted by a new “law of the land.”
Look for the label
I’ve been enjoying the last month in the store – looking for labels. Already, with Vermont’s law, there was no real standardization to it. Some manufacturers stamped it into the price, some add it below the nutritional info, some print it in small type on the label, and so on. It’s been a real game trying to figure out what is what.
Looking around, there’s a mix of GMO and non-GMO foods. The snack aisle is especially full of GMO products – potato chips, Sun Chips, corn chips, and so on. Crackers and cookies are likely to have had a label. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish were one of the many products “produced with genetic engineering.”
The “Non GMO” label, on the other hand, is pretty clear an obvious on products that proclaim it. Easy to see.
All in all, I like that we have labels on products. Knowing that something has salt or sugar, is fair trade or not, is organic or not, or uses GMO ingredients or not makes allows shoppers who care about these sorts of things to know, and those who don’t care to keep on grabbing things off the shelf.
It will be interesting to see if products remain labeled or if they go away until the national laws kick in.
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And yes, wow. Congress and the president sure can get important things accomplished quickly when they want to. It’s almost as if the feuding is all… an act.
Standardize me boy.
” Already, with Vermont’s law, there was no real standardization to it.”
And that’s why the companies pushed Congress to act. Because if not you might have a different label requirement in each state.
In the age of information I think people can research this info and decide for themselves if the want to eat “Frankenfood” or not.