A bill that would give shoppers clear labels for foods containing GMOs cleared the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture on March 4. The Genetic Engineering Transparency Food Labeling Act would require clear labeling of food products that contain genetically engineered ingredients, or GMOs. Similar laws have recently passed in Connecticut, Maine and Vermont, which is slated to go into effect in July.
Congress currently is considering a federal, voluntary GMO labeling bill, opposed by many consumer groups across the country but praised by many in the food industry. The bill recently was advanced by the Senate Agriculture Committee and likely will emerge for a vote in the full Senate soon.