State Sen. David Ige said Saturday that he would reconsider his opposition to GMO labeling in Hawaii and look to a Vermont law signed in May as a possible solution.

Vermont became the first state to require manufacturers to label genetically modified organisms by July 2016. Retailers would not be held liable for failing to label GMO products.

Connecticut and Maine have also approved GMO labeling laws, but those mandates would not take effect until other northeastern states pass similar requirements.

Ige, who is running against Gov. Neil Abercrombie in the Democratic primary, had opposed GMO labeling in Hawaii. He said he would prefer the federal government to decide on labeling, but would now consider a state-level requirement if local retailers and food producers could be spared the costs of labeling.

Genetically modified organisms are common in the food supply and the federal government has determined that GMOs do not pose elevated health risks, yet a growing number of consumers in Hawaii and across the nation have demanded GMO labeling.

Food manufacturing andbiotechnology interests are expected to file legal challenges to the Vermont law.

"I believe that the consumer has the right to know what’s in their food," Ige said after a news conference on environmental, agriculture and energy issues at Kewalo Basin Park.

"I believe that it would best be handled by the federal level. But I do understand that it’s a big concern in our community, so I am looking at Vermont.

"My concern is that I don’t believe the local retailer or the local food producer should have to bear the full cost of that labeling and that burden."

Abercrombie contends that mandatory GMO labeling would be better administered by the federal government so there would be a unified, rather than state-by-state, approach.

While Ige is becoming more aggressive at outlining policy differences with Abercrombie, his main distinctions involve leadership. He is critical of the governor for what he sees as the administration’s failure to take more decisive steps on the environment, agriculture and energy over the past four years.

Ige faulted Abercrombie for keeping Hermina Morita only as a holdover as chairwoman of the state Public Utilities Commission when her term expires in June. He said he would have appointed Morita to a new term because he thinks she has done a credible job. He said the governor should have made an appointment rather than being indecisive.

Abercrombie announced in March that Morita would be a holdover and, at the time, she was facing state sanctions for operating an illegal Hanalei bed and breakfast. Morita and her husband were fined $31,000 by the state in May.

"We believe that the Public Utilities Commission will play a very important role in the clean-energy initiative, and it’s disappointing that we don’t have a chair," Ige told reporters.

Ige said the Legislature’s approval of more than $5 million to combat invasive species went beyond what Abercrombie had asked for to counter what appears to be a burgeoning threat, citing the spread of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, the little fire ant and coqui frogs.

"I believe that the governor needs to lead in this area," he said.

Ige also criticized Abercrombie for not protecting more than 2,000 acres of agricultural land from the Ho‘opili and Koa Ridge residential development projects.

"That’s going backwards," he said, adding that he would set a goal of doubling the share of locally grown food to 20 percent by 2020.

William Kaneko, Abercrombie’s campaign manager, said President Barack Obama recognized the governor’s leadership on the environment by appointing him to a White House task force on climate change. The governor has worked toward on-bill financing for solar, watershed protection, and land conservation in Central Oahu and the North Shore.

"Sen. Ige has a poor record of achievement on the environment," he said in a statement. "It is clear the only way he has to bolster his position is to unfairly attack Gov. Abercrombie."

Kaneko said that "it is easy to complain about our challenges, or make big promises to win votes. Gov. Abercrombie believes that leadership means working to solve problems, and doing what’s right for the people of Hawaii."