Ben & Jerry's Expresses Support For Vermont's Mandatory GMO Labeling Law

Ben & Jerry's is showing their support for Vermont's labeling law, which requires companies to specify genetically modified foods, and hopes to see mandatory GMO labeling across the country.

The ice cream company and other Vermont-based businesses are defending Vermont's decision to require labels to distinguish between GMO and non-GMO foods.

Vermont Legislature passed the labeling law, called Act 120, in May 2014. The act rules that genetically engineered foods pose a risk to health, safety, agriculture, and the environment because they can withstand exposure to pesticides such as herbicides, which are allegedly not safe for consumption.

"We're joining this fight because we believe strongly that consumers have a right to know what's in the food they eat," Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, said in a press release. "We work hard to source the best possible ingredients, so it's hard for me to understand why any company wouldn't be proud to tell you about the ingredients they use."

Act 120 will take effect starting July 1, 2016. Vermont is one of the only states to pass a mandatory labeling law.