Representatives of the food industry continue to express their displeasure with the Vermont law that requires the mandatory labeling of genetically modified food and are not going down without a fight, despite the April court ruling that denied a preliminary injunction that would block the law from going into effect.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, joined by the Snack Food Association, the International Dairy Foods Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers, filed a brief with a federal appellate court Wednesday charging that the district court judge erred in her decision to refusing to block implementation of the Vermont law. The court’s ruling against the motion means Vermont can continue with its plans to implement the labeling law, which is set to go into effect in July 2016.
The four trade associations are challenging the law, known as Vermont’s Act 120, as violating the First Amendment’s free-speech guarantee alleging it imposes burdensome new speech requirements on food manufacturers and retailers.
The Vermont law requires food manufacturers to include a label on certain products containing genetically engineered ingredients notifying consumers that the products are or may be “produced with genetic engineering.” The law also prohibits manufacturers from using the word “natural” or similar words to describe those products.
The read the full brief on the GMA website.
