Although some members of the Maine Legislative Committee have voted to wait longer for passing a bill on GMO labeling, the remaining ones are focusing on starting the labels for foods containing genetically modified organisms.
Last Thursday, the legislative committee split up on changing the Maine law that would require labels on food.
In 2014, lawmakers, requiring the food manufacturers to label their products, which have been made with genetically engineered ingredients, passed a bill.
Although three New England states have acted on the bills, yet New Hampshire is still waiting to adopt the policy by the end of next year for the labeling law to take effect.
On Thursday, members of the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee voted 7-3 to extend that "sunset clause" until the year 2022 in order to give New Hampshire or other Northeastern states additional time to pass their own bills, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Advocates for GMO labeling had originally hoped to remove the five-state trigger clause in the Legislature, however, the proposal faced opposition from some lawmakers and from the LePage administration.
Notably, agribusiness, biotechnology companies, and food producers have actively opposed GMO labeling, warning that the process could prompt some manufacturers to stop selling products in Maine.
Additionally, they also said that the move would increase the cost of Maine-based business, mentioning that something as mild sounding as "contains GMO ingredients" may not seem as controversial as dire words like "smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy."
Moreover, they have argued that the labeling should be voluntary, or originate from the federal government.
The Thursday's committee lacked three members who were not present at the meeting, and would have 48 hours to cast their votes, following which the competing reports will be going to the full Legislature for consideration.
Thus, it is yet to be known if the Legislature will support the immediate labeling of the GMO foods or not.
