MoveOn to launch GMO labeling push

“If enough states pass laws requiring GMOs to be labeled, it will make business sense for Monsanto and the other huge food companies to label them everywhere in the country, and it will strengthen the case for a federal law,” the organization said on its Web page advertising the events.

Two states, Connecticut and Maine, have passed laws requiring the labels, though both require neighboring states to pass similar laws before going into effect.

A bill in Congress, the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, has gained support in both chambers from a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

Lawmakers like Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have said that state laws should lead the way for federal action. 

Supporters of the labels consider them a basic matter of transparency for critical consumers who might have unresolved questions about GMOs.

Agriculture groups, however, contend that GMOs do not pose a threat to human health and are necessary to feed a growing global population.