Maine passed a GMO food-labeling law in 2014 that will not take effect unless the five states contiguous to Maine enact their own labeling laws. “But some lawmakers then began a drive to repeal the trigger, putting the law into effect, and a key statehouse panel is expected to take up the issue in coming weeks,” reports the Associated Press. Pro-label groups are divided on the question, with some worrying about disparate rules among states and others saying Maine should look out for its own interests.
Still others say the best course is to wait for Congress to decide the question. Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO label law is to take effect July 1. The U.S. House passed an industry-backed bill to pre-empt state labeling and to keep GMO food labels voluntary at the federal level. The legislation stalled in the Senate with no Democrat willing to co-sponsor similar legislation. The bill to repeal the trigger in Maine is sponsored by state Rep. Michelle Dunphy, who says there is sufficient support in the state to put the label law into effect. The Maine Farm Bureau supports GMO food labels and wants to keep the multi-state requirement, said AP.