As of January 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is requiring food manufacturers to disclose whether foods may be “bioengineered”—here’s what you need to know.
In a nutshell: “Foods that previously were labeled as containing ‘genetically engineered’ (GE) ingredients or ‘genetically modified organisms’ (GMOs) will now be labeled as ‘bioengineered,’ or come with a phone number or QR code guiding consumers to more information online,” explains The Washington Post—here’s USDA’s guide to the new rule.
What foods are covered? “In the simplest terms, any food intentionally containing genetic material” derived from this list of bioengineered foods, with some exceptions. The Standard defines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.
Read: Gene Editing 101
It's “an important solution for consumers,”says GMO Answers:
- The standard “acknowledges that many people want to know if the foods they are consuming were derived from ‘GMO’ (bioengineered) crops.”
- “The standard provides this information without frightening imagery that could lead consumers to believe GMO/BE food is labeled because it is something to be concerned about or avoided entirely.”
Some are criticizing the term, but “bioengineered or BE gets much closer to the foods consumers are actually trying to learn about—transgenic crops or the foods, fuels, and fibers derived from them,” GMO Answers continues.
We’ll say it again: GMOs and gene editing are nothing to be afraid of—and in fact, can help us combat the really scary things ahead, like the impact of climate change on our food supply.
