GMO Victory: Maine Second State to Enact GMO Labeling
In another blow against the propaganda machine that has been fueled by GMO juggernauts like Monsanto and others, Maine will now become the second state (after Connecticut) to launch mandatory labeling for food products that contain genetically modified ingredients.
A major victory, though it does contain a stipulation: Five nearby states must also adopt GMO labeling legislation.
It’s certainly not what we wanted, though it does open the floor for the nearby states to get started on their own legislation. And amazingly, this move would affect a whopping 70% or so of all of the products that currently reside in Maine grocery stores in the event the neighboring states join on — a major hit against manufacturers that continue to cling to including genetically altered ingredients within their food items.
It will be no surprise, then, when Monsanto attempts to sue the law out of existence by citing worthless science that GMOs are ‘the exact same’ as natural ingredients.
Unfortunately, Monsanto has been successful in assaulting GMO labeling in the past both monetarily and legally. After all, you may remember when Monsanto openly impersonated federal agencies in order to quell California’s Prop 37 GMO labeling campaign — a move that they were able to get away with.
The Maine decision is indeed a victory for awareness regarding the necessity and popularity of GMO labeling, but it is now up to us to push other states to adopt similar legislation in order to activate the campaign to the fullest level.
GMO Labeling Passed Maine House in 2013
In June, 2013, the state of Maine House voted to pass the bill with a crushing 141 to 4 vote to require all genetically modified food products to carry a label describing them as such. “Produced with Genetic Engineering” is the key phrase that is being used.
The primary sponsor of the bill is Rep. Lance Harvell, R-Farmington. Representative Craig Hickman said “The people want to know what’s in their food, and they want to make a choice that’s right.”
Surprisingly, even representatives who defended genetic engineering in agriculture said they could support requiring those products to carry labels.
Rep. Bernard Ayotte, R-Caswell, one of the supporters of GMO said, “I’m not against GMO labeling. What I fear is that this bill may lead to the curtailment or stopping of GMO experiments.”
There are many states that are thinking about passing similar laws, and Connecticut passed its own GMO labeling bill.
I suppose the reason for the other states to adopt such a rule is from all the cross border(state)commerce that would make it impossible to enforce the labeling,but,you have corrupt New England states that may be easy for monsanto to influence or even blackmail the legislatures,massachusetts and rhode island spring to mind immediately , but even gangsters and those on their payroll don’t want their kids poisoned so perhaps we’ll see a meeting of the minds over this.