This comes to us from one of our local members:
What I want:
On-package text using the accepted terms “GE” or “GMO”, or an easily understood neutral symbol.
The USDA rule doesn’t even include many foods made from genetically engineered ingredients:
New forms of genetic engineering such as CRISPR (gene editing) and Synbio (Synthetic Biology) could be excluded. But consumers aren’t looking for information on what technique was used – they just want to know whether it was made with genetic engineering or not. And foods such as oranges, cacao, potatoes, soy, and canola are in development to be “bioengineered” using CRISPR technology.
The agency has left open whether many processed foods made with GE commodity crops should require labels. Many of these products, such as cooking oils, sodas, and candies, are so highly refined that current DNA tests may or may not “show” the GE content in the final product, despite the original ingredient indisputably being GE. If left out, it’s possible that hundreds of GE foods will not be disclosed.
The proposed rule could allow for either 0.9%, 5% or 10% GMO contamination by weight before labeling would be required. But many of these companies are already complying with the internationally accepted standard of 0.9% — so why should U.S. consumers get less information?
What I want: Any food made with ingredients that were genetically engineered by any method should be labeled as such.
The USDA’s own study showed that many consumers would be unable to read digital QR codes (because of a lack of a smartphone, unreliable internet, or otherwise), the agency is still proposing to allow companies to use digital QR codes in place of readable labels. This is wrong for consumers.
Use the long-accepted terms genetically engineered, GE, or GMO, not the agency proposed terminology that most consumers would not recognize, namely “bioengineered” and its acronym “BE. Putting a cute colorful smiley faced “BE” symbol will confuse consumers, which is exactly what the industry wants you to do. Don’t do it.
You don’t use cute smiley faced symbols for any other labeling of food, so don’t do it for GMO’s.
Have you made your voice heard on the proposed GMO labeling? To comment, go to:
