We’ve Started a Food Fight!
It’s food fight time. After a hard fought and successful battle in Vermont for people’s right to know what’s in their food, the voice of the people is now being challenged by some organizations that do not support transparency when it comes to GMOs. The citizens of Vermont rallied alongside local businesses, organizations and policy makers to pass mandatory GMO labeling. By signing the bill into law, no more than a month ago, Vermont’s Governor Peter Shumlin put Vermont on the map as the only state to require a “no strings attached” GMO labeling law. This means that, regardless of action taken in others states, Vermont will be catching up with the other 64 countries globally who require GMO foods to be labeled in grocery stores.
It didn’t take long for several large organizations representing the biotechnology and food industry to join the fray, filing a lawsuit against the State of Vermont for protecting its citizens’ right to know about GMOs in their food. In response, the State of Vermont has set up a crowd-funded legal fund to defend our little state from the powerful corporate interests that are seeking to undermine our historic victory. It’s appropriately called, The Vermont Food Fight Fund. We’ve teamed up with the Vermont Food Fight Fund to help defend our right to know what’s in the food we eat.
Last week, our co-founder, Jerry Greenfield, and Governor Shumlin got together to announce the honorary renaming of Chocolate Fudge Brownie to “Food Fight Fudge Brownie” in Burlington, VT. The flavor was unveiled to a crowd of business leaders, members of the Vermont Right to Know Coalition and supporting citizens. In addition to the temporary renaming of Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Jerry announced that $1 from each sale of Food Fight Fudge Brownie sold in our company owned, Vermont Scoop Shops will be donated to the Vermont Food Fight Fund. As Jerry put it, “We're used to putting dough in our ice cream, but renaming Chocolate Fudge Brownie to ‘Food Fight Fudge Brownie’ will help put some dough in the Food Fight Fund.”
Even if you don’t live in Vermont, you can still help! If all of us who support consumers’ right to know gave $1 to the Vermont Food Fight Fund, we’d show other states that democracy can’t be bought by a handful of powerful corporations. And that will make Vermont not the end of a hard fought campaign to win labeling, but the beginning of a grassroots effort demanding a more transparent and sustainable food system. What do you say? You in? You can help support the movement by making a small contribution to the Vermont Food Fight Fund on their website at: www.foodfightfundvt.org