If you are so confident about the safety of GMO foods, why are you against GMO labeling?

Expert response from Scott Kohne

NAFTA Market Acceptance Manager, Seeds & Traits Unit, BBASF

Friday, 05/02/2016 12:15

Genetically modified (GM) food products and food ingredients have been evaluated and approved for food and feed import globally and consumed for 20 years with no food safety incidents, which supports our confidence in both the safety and nutritional value these foods provide consumers. The real question should be, “What mandatory information needs to be applied to our food and feed labels to ensure the consumer has the material information about the food product itself to make a purchasing decision?” In the U.S., the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to regulate human food, animal feed and food additives, and it obligates food developers to ensure the foods they provide are safe and labeled appropriately.

The FDA continues to support science-based labeling requirements, which apply to all foods including GMO products. Those requirements include:

• FDA may require a label for a new food only if the food is materially different from its traditional counterpart in nutritional or safety attributes; in taste, appearance or smell; or in its preparation methods.
• All ingredients must be listed on the label, and when there is a meaningful difference in the safety, composition or nutrition of the crop from which they were derived, that difference is properly reflected on the label.
• No special label or labeling is required by FDA if a food is substantially equivalent to its non-labeled counterpart in terms of safety, nutrition, taste, appearance, smell, and preparation methods.
• Food labels and other forms of food labeling must be both truthful and not misleading. Both the presence and absence of information can be misleading.

The FDA did provide notice in November 2015 on food labeling that included guidance on voluntary labeling of both GM and organic products. This notice did reiterate the FDA’s 1992 position on labeling (noted above) and did provide a voluntary option around labeling of either GM or organic food products. The FDA has stated that the mandatory addition of immaterial information on food product labels and labeling would risk diverting consumer attention from material and important food label information, such as nutritional or allergenicity information. Like the FDA, I believe information conveyed to consumers must be truthful and not, in any way, misleading.

You can find the FDA Labeling guidance at:  http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm2006828.htm

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Thursday, 21/01/2016 19:17

GMO Answers member companies are not anti-labeling, in fact, Andy Hedgecock , Director of Scientific Affairs at DuPont Pioneer states, “In the United States, food is labeled in accordance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy, which is the same for foods derived from biotechnology as it is for conventional foods. For example, when a food product derived from biotechnology differs in composition, nutritional value or end use, that difference must be noted on the label, just as it is with other foods (e.g., margarine vs. low-fat margarine).” For more detailed information, please read his full response here.  Also, check out this Give It a Minute video that details Monsanto’s views on mandatory and voluntary labeling and more on this topic can be found at Discover.Monsanto.com

Further, Cathleen Enright, former executive director of the Council for Biotechnology Information has previously discussed the industry’s opinions on labeling, and explains:

“With regard to food labeling, although we do not sell food products directly to consumers, we support food companies’ decisions to voluntarily label food products for the presence or absence of GMOs, based on their customers’ choices.  This type of marketing claim is often used to promote one type of product over another and is unrelated to health or safety. Some companies have opted to use voluntary label, such as “USDA Organic,” for their customers who choose food that is not made with GM ingredients.”

In another answer, Enright goes on to explain the issue with mandatory labeling:

“We want consumers to know about GMOs and support the right of consumers to choose food that is healthy and nutritious.  What we cannot support is a label that conveys to consumers that foods made from the farmers’ crops grown with our seeds are less safe than, less nutritious than or somehow different from conventional or organic food.  We believe a government requirement to label GM food would do just this.  Hundreds of independent studies have confirmed the safety of GMOs, and regulatory authorities around the world agree.”

We hope the information provided answers your question. If you have any further questions, please ask. Also, feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comment section below!

Expert response from Scott Kohne

NAFTA Market Acceptance Manager, Seeds & Traits Unit, BBASF

Friday, 05/02/2016 12:15

Genetically modified (GM) food products and food ingredients have been evaluated and approved for food and feed import globally and consumed for 20 years with no food safety incidents, which supports our confidence in both the safety and nutritional value these foods provide consumers. The real question should be, “What mandatory information needs to be applied to our food and feed labels to ensure the consumer has the material information about the food product itself to make a purchasing decision?” In the U.S., the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to regulate human food, animal feed and food additives, and it obligates food developers to ensure the foods they provide are safe and labeled appropriately.

The FDA continues to support science-based labeling requirements, which apply to all foods including GMO products. Those requirements include:

• FDA may require a label for a new food only if the food is materially different from its traditional counterpart in nutritional or safety attributes; in taste, appearance or smell; or in its preparation methods.
• All ingredients must be listed on the label, and when there is a meaningful difference in the safety, composition or nutrition of the crop from which they were derived, that difference is properly reflected on the label.
• No special label or labeling is required by FDA if a food is substantially equivalent to its non-labeled counterpart in terms of safety, nutrition, taste, appearance, smell, and preparation methods.
• Food labels and other forms of food labeling must be both truthful and not misleading. Both the presence and absence of information can be misleading.

The FDA did provide notice in November 2015 on food labeling that included guidance on voluntary labeling of both GM and organic products. This notice did reiterate the FDA’s 1992 position on labeling (noted above) and did provide a voluntary option around labeling of either GM or organic food products. The FDA has stated that the mandatory addition of immaterial information on food product labels and labeling would risk diverting consumer attention from material and important food label information, such as nutritional or allergenicity information. Like the FDA, I believe information conveyed to consumers must be truthful and not, in any way, misleading.

You can find the FDA Labeling guidance at:  http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm2006828.htm

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Thursday, 21/01/2016 19:17

GMO Answers member companies are not anti-labeling, in fact, Andy Hedgecock , Director of Scientific Affairs at DuPont Pioneer states, “In the United States, food is labeled in accordance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy, which is the same for foods derived from biotechnology as it is for conventional foods. For example, when a food product derived from biotechnology differs in composition, nutritional value or end use, that difference must be noted on the label, just as it is with other foods (e.g., margarine vs. low-fat margarine).” For more detailed information, please read his full response here.  Also, check out this Give It a Minute video that details Monsanto’s views on mandatory and voluntary labeling and more on this topic can be found at Discover.Monsanto.com

Further, Cathleen Enright, former executive director of the Council for Biotechnology Information has previously discussed the industry’s opinions on labeling, and explains:

“With regard to food labeling, although we do not sell food products directly to consumers, we support food companies’ decisions to voluntarily label food products for the presence or absence of GMOs, based on their customers’ choices.  This type of marketing claim is often used to promote one type of product over another and is unrelated to health or safety. Some companies have opted to use voluntary label, such as “USDA Organic,” for their customers who choose food that is not made with GM ingredients.”

In another answer, Enright goes on to explain the issue with mandatory labeling:

“We want consumers to know about GMOs and support the right of consumers to choose food that is healthy and nutritious.  What we cannot support is a label that conveys to consumers that foods made from the farmers’ crops grown with our seeds are less safe than, less nutritious than or somehow different from conventional or organic food.  We believe a government requirement to label GM food would do just this.  Hundreds of independent studies have confirmed the safety of GMOs, and regulatory authorities around the world agree.”

We hope the information provided answers your question. If you have any further questions, please ask. Also, feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comment section below!