Vermont AG issues memo confirming non-enforcement of GM labeling requirements.

• As the food industry is well aware, Vermont’s labeling requirements for genetically modified (GM) foods have been preempted by the recent enactment of federal GM labeling legislation.

• On August 11, 2016, Vermont’s Attorney General (AG) issued a formal memo stating that the AG’s office will no longer enforce the state’s requirements.

• Although the AG’s memo is merely a formality at this point, it signals the end of a long and controversial chapter in the GM labeling debate in the U.S.  Although it will be years before the U.S. Department of Agriculture-administered GM labeling framework is up and running, the food industry can be secure in the knowledge that federal regulation precludes the development of a patchwork of conflicting labeling requirements across the 50 states.