HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A key Connecticut lawmaker says efforts to enact state legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified food died in the face of threatened lawsuits by food producers.
Rep. Richard Roy, the House chairman of the Environment Committee, said Thursday that he unsuccessfully lobbied House Speaker Christopher Donovan and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The legislation got no further than his committee.
The state Department of Agriculture opposed the legislation, saying it would put Connecticut at a competitive disadvantage with other states that do not regulate labeling.
The legislation was backed by organic produce farmers who believed they could benefit from better informed consumers rejecting genetically modified products and choosing organic food instead.
Similar legislation also failed in the Vermont Legislature. Leaders said there wasn't enough time to take it up before adjournment last Saturday.
