The debate over genetically modified foods in America now hinges on one question: To label or not to label?
Across the globe, 64 countries have enacted mandatory labeling laws for GMO foods. Major food makers like Coca-Cola and biotech giants like Monstanto and DuPont are determined to stop the passage of such laws in the US — so much so that they've spent more than $27 million in the first six months of this year on GMO-related lobbying. That's roughly three times their spending in all of 2013.
So why the uptick in spending, and why are they so adamantly anti-labeling?
The current drive is coming from Vermont, according to Carey Gillam, a food and agriculture reporter for Reuters who's been following GMOs for 16 years, almost since their inception.
In May, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed a law that requires that GMO foods sold in the state be labeled. Some in the Green Mountain State are pleased with the new law, but industry groups are not.
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