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Starting this month, alert consumers may have noticed labels on some foods that say "bioengineered" or "derived from bioengineering," per new federal standards. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption
toggle caption Ted S. Warren/AP
Starting this month, alert consumers may have noticed labels on some foods that say "bioengineered" or "derived from bioengineering," per new federal standards.
Ted S. Warren/APSay goodbye to GMOs. The new term for foods created with a boost from science is "bioengineered."
As of Jan. 1, food manufacturers, importers and retailers in the U.S. must comply with a new national labeling standard for food that's been genetically modified in a way that isn't possible through natural growth.
Consumers will begin to see labels on some foods that say "bioengineered" or "derived from bioengineering," as the new federal standard takes hold and replaces the former patchwork of state-level requirements.
The change has been several years in the making.In 2016, Congress passed a law to establish a national benchmark for the labeling of genetically modified food in an attempt to give people more information about what they eat and standardize labels across the country. Sonny Perdue, who served as agriculture secretary during the Trump administration, announced the regulations in 2018.
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Food producers can use these two logos approved by the USDA to label bioengineered food under the new national standard that took effect on Jan. 1. U.S. Department of Agriculture hide caption
toggle caption U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food producers can use these two logos approved by the USDA to label bioengineered food under the new national standard that took effect on Jan. 1.
U.S. Department of Agriculture"The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard increases the transparency of our nation's food system, establishing guidelines for regulated entities on when and how to disclose bioengineered ingredients," Perdue said at the time. "This ensures clear information and labeling consistency for consumers about the ingredients in their food."
But critics say the rules devised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will actually confuse consumers further and make it harder to know what's in any given product. One advocacy group has even sued the USDA to try to block the new regulations from taking effect.
The new rules give food producers a few optionsSome commonly bioengineered foods include corn, canola, soybeans and sugar beets. Most GMO crops are used for animal feed, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But they are also used to make ingredients that routinely find their way into human diets, such as cornstarch, corn syrup, canola oil and granulated sugar.
The USDA says that the list of items on its website isn't exhaustive and that other foods with genetic modifications will be subject to the labeling rules.
Companies with products that qualify as bioengineered can comply with the new standard in several ways.
They can include text on food packages that says "bioengineered food" or "contains a bioengineered food ingredient." They can also use two logos approved by the USDA.
Finally, they can include a QR code for consumers to scan or a phone number for them to text that will provide more information about that food item.
The new standard applies to genetically modified foods as well as foods with genetically modified ingredients that are "detectable" by certain standards.
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Shoppers who suspect an unlabeled item is actually a bioengineered food can file a complaint with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service.
Establishments like restaurants don't have to comply with the new rule, but they can do so voluntarily.
The logos are confusing and the rules don't go far enough, critics sayThe Center for Food Safety, one advocacy group opposed to the new standard, says it makes it easier for companies to conceal what's in their products and leaves consumers in the dark.