According to the Portland Press Herald, Maine Gov. Paul LePage has signed a bill making Maine the second state in the US to require labeling on products that are made with GMOs. The signature, however, is purely symbolic at this point, as legislative laws do not allow laws to pass until the legislature adjourns. There is also stipulation in the bill that Maine will only have to pass the law when five contiguous states also pass similar legislation.
The bill is part of an effort by many states to compel Congress to pass a comprehensive GMO law. Over 30 states currently have GMO based legislation on their agendas for the coming year, with hopes that the efforts will have an impact in congress.
The next contiguous state to Maine that is pushing a GMO bill forward is New Hampshire, which will take up the bill sometime this winter.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, over 70 percent of the food in American supermarkets contains genetically modified ingredients. There are numerous lobbying groups, some funded by Monsanto, that are against labeling GMO foods. There is an expected lawsuit about the constitutionality of such a law, and its interference with free speech and interstate commerce provisions.
According to the Portland Press Herald, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills fears she may not be able to defend the law's constitutionality if it is brought to trial.
