Vermont’s Attorney General has formally adopted the regulations implementing Act 120, the state law requiring the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering. The new rule is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2016.

The final rule provides details on how the “Produced with Genetic Engineering” label should appear on processed food, exemptions from the labeling requirement, and contains enforcement provisions for violations of the law.

The Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CFSAF) says the law will create more uncertainty for consumers in Vermont.

“Grocery shoppers across Vermont can look forward to a labeling system that leaves them with more questions than answers,” said CFSAF spokesperson Claire Parker. “These new rules will create the least transparent, most complex food labeling system in the United States.”

Parker says the law includes “a honeycomb of carve-outs and exemptions” that will increase consumer confusion. For example, she says, “a can of vegetable soup will have to be labeled but a can of vegetable beef soup will be exempt.”

CFSAF supports a national, uniform standard for food labeling. “The bipartisan Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, introduced in Congress last month, is gaining momentum by the day,” said Parker. “The rules announced today in Vermont are the best evidence yet as to why this bill is so critically needed.”