Vermont to target 'willful violations' of GMO labeling law

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — As Vermont is set to become to the first state to require the labeling of genetically modified foods on July 1, the state's attorney general says his office will target "willful violations" by manufacturers and not products that were produced before that date still on store shelves.

Because some shelf-stable food will be produced and distributed before July 1, the state is allowing for a six-month period for those products to move through the system.

The law requires manufacturers to label packaged foods produced with genetic engineering and stores must post a label on or near unpackaged genetically engineered foods such as produce.

In recent weeks, food companies Kellogg, Mars, ConAgra, and General Mills have joined Campbell Soup Co. in saying they will print new national labels in preparation for Vermont's law.