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Labeling Guidelines For Foods Containing Ingredients Derived From Biotechnology
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Background
In recent years, activist and organic groups have pushed for legislation and ballot initiative attempts to impose mandatory labeling for all foods containing any ingredients derived through biotechnology. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) strongly supports the existing federal requirements for accurate and informative product labels which communicate information that is relevant to health, safety and nutrition. In a 2002 letter to Oregon's governor, FDA stated that its "scientific evaluation of bioengineered foods continues to show that these foods, as currently marketed..., are as safe as their conventional counterparts."
BIO opposes mandatory, generalized labeling requirements for all foods with biotech ingredients because such labels communicate to consumers nothing relevant to health, safety, or nutrition, and indeed serve only to confuse and mislead consumers. In addition, those few consumers who wish to avoid foods containing biotech derived ingredients already have a robust and viable option to purchase foods carrying an "organic" label according to criteria laid out by USDA. Furthermore, a patchwork of inconsistent state labeling laws would not benefit farmers or consumers.
Key Points
Food products of biotechnology are subject to the same U.S. Food and Drug Administration's labeling requirements applied to other foods.
- Taking a science-based approach to formulating labeling guidelines, FDA uses the principal of "substantive equivalence". This means FDA focuses on the final product, not the process used to develop a food product, in determining how it should be labeled. Therefore, a biotech food would require a specific label if data showed it to be substantively different from its counterpart. For example-if as a result of bioengineering-the product had different nutrition properties or contained a potential allergen that consumers would not expect to be present in that food, FDA requires the label to reveal these material facts.
- Numerous scientific groups, including American Medical Association, American Council on Science and Health, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Institute of Food Technologists, and many more support this approach to labeling. In fact, an AMA report found that "[T]here is no scientific justification for special labeling of [biotech foods], as a class, and that voluntary labeling is without value unless it is accompanied by focused consumer education."
The USDA's National Organic Standards approved labeling system provides freedom of choice to consumers who prefer organic products.
- One argument advanced for labeling is to give consumers a choice when purchasing food. USDA now has a labeling system for foods produced organically-giving consumers a clear choice not to purchase foods produced with biotechnology. State laws to mandate additional label requirements would be redundant, impractical, and without additional benefit.
A patchwork of inconsistent state labeling laws would not benefit farmers or consumers.
- Mandatory label requirements that vary from state-to-state would conflict with the FDA guidelines, confuse consumers, cost more, and put farmers' products from one state at a disadvantage with products in another state that has different requirements. Rather, codifying the FDA labeling guidelines would ensure that material information relevant to health, safety and nutrition is accurately communicated to consumers.
- According to a International Food Information Council (IFIC) poll, "[c]onsumer survey results that are representative of the US population show that when asked, unaided, to identify information currently not on food labels that they would like to see added, 3 out of 4 say "nothing" and only 2 percent mention "genetically altered" food. (Conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide for the International Food Information Council, January 2001)"
- Another IFIC survey (2002) reports the following: "59% of Americans support the FDA's labeling policy-which requires disclosure on a food label only if biotechnology introduces an allergen or substantially changes the food's nutritional content. Also, when asked what information they would like to see added to food labels, 76% of consumers said 'nothing' and just 1% cited information related to biotech ingredients."
Contact
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health care, agricultural, industrial, and environmental biotechnology products. For additional information and questions, please contact the BIO Department of Food and Agriculture at 202.962.6647.
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