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46 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 JULY 1 2016 is an important date for the seed industry and every other industry associated with the production of food. On that date Vermont will implement a law passed in 2014 the first of its kind in the nation mandating that food offered for retail sale which is entirely or partially pro- duced with genetic engineering must be labeled as containing such ingredients. Chaos could erupt. Vermonters take our food and how it is produced seriously and we believe we have a right to know whats in the food we buy said Governor Peter Shumlin at the signing of the bill. More than 60 countries have already restricted or labeled these foods and now one state Vermont will also ensure that we know whats in the food we buy and serve our families. The Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food a coalition sup- ported by many food industry- related trade groups and food companies calls the Vermont labeling law a nightmare scenario come true as the Vermont state government that represents only 600000 people is now set to dic- tate food labeling policy to a nation of 300 million unless the U.S. Senate votes to stop the states GMO labeling law. The group said that food com- panies are labeling their products sold across the country to comply with the Vermont on-package labeling mandate. That means the Vermont law is the de facto law of the land the group reports on its website. It is absurd to think that any state has been given the power to determine national food labeling standards and ultimately the future of American agriculture. The American Seed Trade Association ASTA has long advocated for a uniform national food-labeling solu- tion based on sound science says Andrew LaVigne ASTA president and CEO. Federal legislation would eliminate the confusion and uncertainty of a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling laws. Consumers and the food and agriculture com- munity alike deserve consist- ency and transparency in the marketplace. ASTA and many other groups such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association GMA have been urging the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that would establish a national food labeling standard. They have had no success. Through the use of modern scientific practices and research seeds enhanced with biotechnol- ogy traits have been proven over and over again by a wide variety of credible organizations to be safe for people and the environment says Pat Miller ASTA director for state affairs. Unfortunately the unnecessary disparagement of this safe technology is already begin- ning to impact the market. With Vermonts law looming some companies have begun to reformulate their products away from GMOs causing the price of FRANK ZAWORSKI Frank Zaworski is a veteran journalist native of Minnesota and former Seed World editor who dropped out of the rat race in 2013. He and his wife Linda live on the shore of the Sea of Cortez near the southern tip of Mexicos Baja California peninsula. When he is not freelancing Zaworski enjoys fly fishing for dorado golf and expanding his search for the perfect carne ahumada. With the Vermont GMO labeling law scheduled to go into effect July 1 Americas food industry anxiously awaits federal action. LABELING CAUSES CHAOS certain commodities such as cane sugar to soar. By Vermonts action and Congress inaction production agriculture will be set back 25 years. We need a national solution to bring certainty to the marketplace. A patchwork of confusing state regulations will only serve to drive up food costs and decrease food availability to the American public. Generally Recognized as Safe GMO foods were approved for human consumption in 1995 but the Food and Drug Administration never required any labels pointing them out as such. Despite a pleth- ora of studies during the past 20 Campbell Soup Company designed a sample of the SpaghettiOs label for use in Vermont.