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More than 60 countries already have laws restricting or labeling foods produced with genetic engineering. Now, Vermont is the first state to require common-sense labeling for foods produced with genetic engineering. Vermont’s first-in-the-nation law is expected to be challenged in court by food producers that do not want to disclose this information to consumers.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and other food industry groups have filed a complaint challenging Vermont’s controversial new law mandating the labeling of food produced with GMOs.

As Vermont's new law requiring labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms shows, interest in GMOs, or the lack of them, is hot. A growing number of image-conscious companies, including Burlington-based Lake Champlain Chocolates, are looking to go non-GMO. (.....) However, the Non-GMO Project, an organization that verifies and offers its non-GMO seal of approval to products proven to be without GMOs, requires dairy and meat to come from animals fed non-GMO feed to earn its verification. Miller said with 90 percent of feed corn genetically modified in the United States, Ben & Jerry's would have difficulty sourcing its ice cream that way. Miller said the company has been able to make the switch to non-GMO and Fair Trade certified without having to discontinue any flavors.

Campaign group GM Freeze expressed disappointment today as the European Union Environment Council voted "Yes" on a controversial proposal that could see GM crops planted in UK fields as early as next year.

GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill commented:

“EU Environment Ministers have waved through a deeply flawed proposal to the next stage because Owen Paterson and friends think it’s more important to get GM crops into the ground than to protect people’s right to say 'No'. The legal basis for so called ‘national opt-outs’ is questionable at best, and even if a country or region does manage to establish a ban they will find it very difficult to protect their fields and food from contamination if their neighbours start growing GM.

"Farmers, food producers and consumers should all be able to choose GM-free without fear of contamination. We trust that MEPs will listen to the concerns of their constituents when they get a chance to vote on this dangerous proposal.”

Genetically modified products to be prohibited cultivated in Kyrgyzstan. Today the deputies approved in the third reading the bill "On the prohibition of cultivation, production, import and sale in KR products containing GMOs".

Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has voted in favour of an EU plan, which will allow individual member states to prohibit growing of Genetically Modified Organisms on their territory.

Brussels – After three years of stalemate, environment ministers are expected to agree today on a draft law which allegedly gives EU countries the right to stop genetically modified (GM) crops from being grown on their land. Greenpeace warns that the compromise text negotiated by the Greek presidency is riddled with legal holes. Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: “Environment ministers want to give member states the right to ban GMO cultivation on their land, but the text they agreed today does not deliver on what it promises. It would still leave those countries that want to say ‘no’ to GMOs exposed to legal attacks of the biotech industry.” Greenpeace criticises that the text agreed by ministers today would give biotech companies an official role in the banning process, and that it would prevent member states from using health and environmental risks posed by GM crops as justification for restricting their cultivation at national level.

New Consumer Reports Poll Shows Consumer Demand for Strong Federal Standards for Genetically Engineered Food

- 92% Think GE Food Should Be Labeled Before Sold

- 92% Think GE Food Should Meet Government Safety Standards Before Sold

- 92% Demand the Government Label GE Salmon

Yonkers, NY—According to a new national poll by Consumer Reports, an overwhelming majority of U.S. consumers think that before genetically engineered (GE) food is sold, it should be labeled accordingly (92% of consumers) and meet long-term safety standards set by the government (92%). The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) currently does not require labeling or pre-market safety assessments of GE food.

Similarly, 92% of Americans specifically agreed that the government should require that GE salmon be labeled before it is sold. The FDA is considering whether to approve a GE salmon, which is designed to grow to maturity twice as fast as normal salmon, and has said that it does not intend to require labeling. In addition, nearly three-quarters (72%) of consumers polled said that it’s crucial for them to avoid GE ingredients when purchasing food.

Thursday 12 June 2014: Environment Council

The Council is expected to reach political agreement on the proposal for a regulation amending

directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for member states to restrict or prohibit the

cultivation, in all or part of their territory, of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have

been authorized at EU level.

The Commission presented its GMO cultivation proposal (12371/10 + ADD 1) in July 2010 with the

aim of providing a legal basis to allow member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs

in their territory on grounds other than health and environment considerations, which had already

been addressed during the EU authorization process for GMOs. The proposal has been examined

under several presidencies since then and following the exchange of views at the Environment

Council of March 2014, member states showed willingness to re-open discussions on the proposal, on the basis of the Presidency compromise text.

BELLEVUE, WASH. — Sales of food and beverage products with non-bioengineered ingredients might be increasing, but companies promoting them could explain the category better. Consumers may wish to know why they are buying the products and how they can be sure the products are free of bioengineered ingredients, also called genetically modified organisms, according to The Hartman Group, which is based in Bellevue and provides consultation on consumer trends and culture. “Non-G.M.O.” labeling on retail products is inconsistent and confusing, according to The Hartman Group. “Because the federal government does not regulate non-G.M.O. labels, it is essentially a voluntary process with all the unevenness one would expect from such an effort,” The Hartman Group said in the June 3 issue of its hartbeat newsletter.

The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) released a new report ‘GM Contamination, Cartels and Collusion in South Africa’s Bread Industry.’ The report shows that the white bread tested contains high levels of Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) soya in the soya flour used in the bread and that most companies are unashamedly flouting GM labelling laws and undermining the consumer’s right to know. The nation consumes about 2.8 billion loaves of bread a year, handing over more than R28 billion of their hard-earned cash to a cartel comprising Tiger Brands, Premier Foods, Pioneer Foods and Foodcorp, that controls the wheat-to-bread value chain. Roughly a quarter of South Africans live below the bread line and price fluctuations in bread – our second most important staple food after maize – has hit the poor the hardest.

In a letter to the EU Commission, Testbiotech is once more asking for the market authorisation of genetically engineered maize 1507 to be stopped. The reason for this letter is a statement received from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concerning two Testbiotech reports. In its statement, EFSA fails to invalidate the crucial points raised by Testbiotech. The authority defends its own risk assessment but cannot disprove the substantial lack of relevant and sufficiently reliable data.

“After analysing the EFSA statement it is evident that the existing data are not sufficient to exclude risks for human health and the environment. On the contrary, some of the knowledge gaps are becoming even more evident”, Christoph Then says for Testbiotech. “Commissioner Tonio Borg now has to show that he is able to provide the high level of safety standards requested by EU regulations.”