- Proposed legislation in Rhode Island could require labels for genetically engineered products as well as a clearer definition about what that label means in the state.
- Similar legislation has been passed in Maine and Connecticut, but official labeling regulations will not go into effect until other states pass comparable bills into law.
- Rep. Raymond Hull, D-Providence said, "I’ve introduced this bill for four years. It gets just so far and then it stops. But there is more momentum now than there has been in the past. We’re very optimistic."
Rhode Island is one of many other states where GMO labeling legislation has been proposed, fought, and brought to court. After a major struggle, including recounts and court hearings, Oregon GMO labeling supporters conceded defeat late last year, but the state's governor proposed another GMO bill just earlier this month. Not long after, Hawaii County Council in Hawaii appealed a judge's ruling that state law supersedes county law, specifically in terms of a ban on GMO agriculture. After Vermont passed a GMO labeling law, the state was sued by various food organizations, and a second public hearing is in the works.
As controversy rises, official government agencies have played their own role in the GMO industry. In December, an FDA official said the organization finds GMO foods safe, and most recently, the USDA approved genetically modified potatoes.