Connecticut Passes the First GMO Labeling Law (Kind of)

You may have heard that Connecticut recently passed the first GMO labeling law…which was a big win for advocates for the implementation of GMO labeling. However, if you look more closely at the bill, it doesn’t sound like the win that you might think it is.

The new legislation passed on June 3 and the governor is expected to sign it into law. There is, however, a stipulation to the new law, and a rather significant one at that.

For the new legislation to take effect, “additional states totaling at least 20 million in population must also pass similar legislation, and one of the states must border Connecticut.”

The stipulation is understandable since the state has concerns about putting its commerce system at risk.

Governor Dannel Malloy noted that the bill “strikes an important balance by ensuring the consumers’ right to know what is in their food while shielding our small businesses from liability that could leave them at a competitive disadvantage. I look forward to working with advocates and stakeholders on this important issue, and thank legislative leaders for their work in crafting this legislation.”

What will happen next waits to be seen, however, the announcement in early 2013 that Whole Foods will require GMO labeling on all its products by 2018 seems to have been just the beginning of what has become a growing demand for GMO labeling. Currently, 20 states have either active GMO labeling bills or campaigns for GMO labeling.

Want to start labeling your GMO-free products today? LabelValue.com, in response to the growing demand for labeling, recently released new GMO-free labels that are designed to allow businesses to immediately integrate GMO labels into product packaging.

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