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Answers

Question

Will the government be involved with GMO labeling, and if so how?

Submitted by: Parker Agin


Answer

Expert response from Community Manager

Friday, 09/01/2015 12:24

I am going to assume that you’re talking about the federal government and will focus on federal agencies, not state institutions. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for the nutrition and safety labeling of foods, such as the number of calories, food allergens, and ingredient lists on most packaged foods.

 

The FDA also requires that a food label reflect any change in the composition or nutritional value of a food or ingredient, as compared to its conventional counterpart, regardless of how the seed was made - whether it was formed through selective breeding, tissue culture, mutagenesis (using radiation), or transgenesis (“GMO”). An example of this would be oil made from high-oleic soybeans, which is trans-fat free and has a nutritional profile similar to olive oil. 

 

As we’ve noted before, we do support mandatory labeling of food, including GM food, if such food presents a safety risk to a certain population, for example, those allergic to a food ingredient like soy.  Absent a health or safety risk, though, the FDA has determined that: “…there is no significant difference between foods produced using bio-engineering, as a class, and their conventional counterparts.” Hundreds of independent studies have also confirmed the safety of GMOs, and regulatory authorities around the world agree.  

 

The USDA Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) administers the certified organic marketing program and seal. The USDA certified organic seal is an indication that a grower has voluntarily worked to achieve certification under the National Organic Program (NOP).  The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a Federal Advisory Committee appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, has developed a strict set of NOP regulations and guidelines for the production, handling and labeling of crops - including specifications for soil management and the exclusion of synthetic chemicals (though there are exceptions) and genetically engineered seeds - that growers must adhere to in order for their product to earn the certified organic seal, and therefore achieve the price premium that is associated with that label.

 

We support farmers’ right to choose what’s best for their business and consumers’ right to choose the type of food they want, and we support both the marketing-based, voluntary USDA organic seal other non-GMO labels, as well as current FDA guidelines that do not require a federally mandated label indicating a food or food ingredient is GMO.