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GMO labeling moves to next step

The USDA has closed its public comment period for the proposed rule on food labels containing genetically modified ingredients.

The proposal would label food as bioengineered, not GMO. More than 8,600 comments on the proposal debate if the change to bioengineered keeps with the intent of the legislation as well as the effectiveness of the smiley faced icons and potential for a QR code.

The proposed rule offers different options for determining the level of food that should be disclosed and how it should appear on the label. One option would allow the use of bioengineered ingredients up to 5 percent of the total weight of the product before it must be labeled as bioengineered.

The USDA also proposes creating two lists of bioengineered foods that would require labels. Refined ingredients, like oils and sugars, would not necessarily be on the list.

The American Soybean Association wants USDA to adhere to the statutory definition of bioengineering and label foods that contain genetic material modified through transgenic biotechnology. Products that could be developed through conventional breeding or found in nature would be exempt.  They also want USDA to adopt five percent as the threshold for the presence of bioengineered content to be mandatorily disclosure.

The bill mandating GMO labeling was signed into law in 2016 and gave the USDA two years to develop a national standard. Congress passed the law after several states began requiring their own labeling standards.

In the meantime, some companies, like Campbell’s Soup Company, Mars and General Mills, have started to include GMO information on all of their labels to be more transparent with consumers.

A study by Purdue University and the University of Vermont found opposition to GMO food in Vermont has decreased by nearly 20 percent since the state began requiring labels in 2016.