The Grocery Manufacturers Association and other food industry groups have spent millions of dollars resisting efforts to require labels on foods containing genetically engineered organisms, but a series of impediments have left some of those same groups' largest members to start labeling anyway.

General Mills, ConAgra, Mars and Kellogg have all announced plans to put GMO labels on their foods even though they believe it is wrongheaded. The companies say they are being forced to do so because of a new Vermont law taking effect July 1.

"We can't label our products for only one state without significantly driving up costs for our consumers and we simply will not do that," General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening wrote in a March 18 blog post on the company's website.

Vermont is the first state in the nation to require GMO labeling. Supporters of the law say consumers have the right to know what is in their food, and requiring GMO labels is no different than requiring labels for other ingredients.

Industry groups argue that GMOs are safe for human health and the environment and therefore do not require labels, which they fear could be used by anti-GMO advocates to scare the public away from GMO foods. GMA has taken the lead in fighting labeling, but despite some initial success, the group has been dealt recent losses:

• A Washington state judge ruled GMA violated state law when it initially failed to identify the companies that contributed $14 million to a successful campaign to defeat a proposed labeling law in the 2012 elections. State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is seeking an $11 million penalty against the association.

• GMA and at least three other associations sued Vermont to stop enforcement of that's state labeling mandate, but a federal court refused to issue a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the law. The associations are appealing the decision.

• GMA and its allies failed to convince Congress to pass a federal law setting up a national voluntary labeling system in place of mandatory state laws. The failure came despite GMA having increased its spending on advocacy by 83 percent in 2015.

Despite the setbacks, GMA isn't giving up on the issue. In a statement reacting to the General Mills announcement, the association said the company's decision highlights how one state's actions can cause problems for businesses nationwide.

"Food companies are being forced to make decisions on how to comply, and having to spend millions of dollars," the association said. "One small state's law is setting labeling standards for consumers across the country." http://bit.ly/22UlrC3

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