The Vermont Senate has approved H.112, a bill to label GMO or GE foods, with a vote of 28 to 2. Tee bill now goes to the House for a final vote before it heads to the governor’s desk. Governor Peter Shumlin has indicated he is likely to sign it, which would make Vermont the first … Read more
The FDA is cracking down on honey labeling, issuing a guidance document that will require companies to label honey that is not 100% honey as “blend of sugar and honey” or “blend of honey and corn syrup”. The American Beekeeping Federation and other honey associations have been advocating for this change for years. That organization … Read more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled yesterday that the Country of Origin Labeling on meats can continue. COOL was put into effect last year, but the meat industry filed suit to block it. The court denied a preliminary injunction against COOL, so consumers will be informed about where the meat … Read more
The FDA is changing nutrition labels put on all food packages. The box is going to have new design and new content. Michael Landa, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition said, “Obesity, hearty disease and other chronic diseases are leading public health problems. The proposed new label is intended to bring … Read more
Food & Water Watch is commenting on the European Commission’s directives on clones in the food chain that states food from offspring of cloned animals doesn’t need to be labeled. They say it falls “woefully short” of what citizens want. The draft laws only “provisionally prohibit” cloning farm animals, along with the sale and import … Read more
Center for Food Safety has called on the FDA to not let GMO foods carry the “natural” label. The Grocery Manufacturer’s Association has announced it would submit a petition to the government to define the term “natural” to include foods produced using genetic engineering. CFS is asking that the FDA exclude genetic engineering from any … Read more
The GMO labeling ballot initiative was defeated in Tuesday’s voting. The initiative, I-522, would have made manufacturers label foods made from genetically engineered (GE) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Washington state voting is done by mail, so votes will be counted until December 5, 2013. Yes on 522 is currently behind by almost 8 points … Read more
The Consumer Federation of America is urging Farm Bill conferees to defend the 2008 Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law for beef, poultry, pork, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and some nuts. The National Farmers Union, the U.S. Cattleman’s Association, and the American Sheep Industry ASsociation joined in urging Congress to ignore a letter … Read more
A new study released by the national Just Label It campaign has found that requiring food manufacturers to label products that contain genetically engineered (GE) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will not increase food prices. The study was conducted by food marketing expert Kai Robertson. He found no evidence connecting changes in food labels to … Read more
Four groups joined together to file court papers last week for permission to defend mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) from a “spurious lawsuit” brought by the meatpacking industry. R-CALF USA, Food & Water Watch, the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, and the Western Organization of Resource Councils petitioned the court to let them defend the … Read more