Honoring consumers' right to know is the heart and soul of Vermont's law. Letting powerful corporate interests get by with doing as little as possible is the motivation behind this so-called "deal.' I remain concerned that this is a very bad deal for consumers.
Vermont's law is the reason that this issue has come to the fore. The power of Vermont's example, and the thoroughness of Vermont's deliberations in writing our state's law, are the reasons that we were able to kill the completely voluntary scheme on the Senate Floor on March 16, which was far worse than this bill.
The organic label was another born-in-Vermont idea. When I wrote the national organic standards and labeling program, our goal was to set strong standards that consumers could trust. Honoring consumers' right to know was the foundational principle of that law, too, and it has succeeded in propelling our organic sector into phenomenal growth.
Vermont continues to champion consumers' rights, including consumers' right to know, and I am proud of the continuing, courageous and pioneering leadership of the Green Mountain State. I hope that companies will continue to provide consumers with an on-package label even though this law will preempt Vermont's mandatory labeling law.