According to seafoodmedia on January 11, the new label of genetically modified food of the U.S. Department of agriculture has come into effect. From January 1, 2022, food previously marked as “genetically modified engineering” or containing “genetically modified organisms” or “genetically modified” will usher in a new look.
In order to unify the different labeling systems of genetically modified foods and replace the specific regulations on label disclosure of these products in various states, the United States Department of agriculture (USDA) now requires these foods to be labeled with “bioengineering”. They may also have QR codes or phone numbers to help consumers find more information online or on the phone.
These changes are part of the USDA National bioengineering food disclosure standard, which came into effect in January 2020. Previously, labeling requirements for foods containing genetically modified ingredients were handled on the basis of state requirements, but the new regulations are designed to avoid various patchwork of state labeling requirements.
At present, some foods on the market are genetically modified products, including apples, rapeseed, corn, eggplant, papaya, pineapple, potatoes and salmon. Most vegetables, fruits, Cereals, seeds and beans have no genetically modified components.
The new regulations require food manufacturers, retailers and importers to disclose whether their food contains bioengineering ingredients, and “genetically modified” will no longer appear on the label.
Other types of official certification, such as “non GM project certification” and “USDA organic certification”, will still be allowed. Dietary supplement manufacturers must also comply with the new labeling rules, although restaurants and other catering service enterprises do not need to comply with it.
The USDA said that the “bioengineering” food labeling standard aims to convey the necessary information to consumers and minimize the cost of companies. The USDA has set some error spaces in the standard, setting the “accidental” bioengineering components to a floating value of 5%, which means that highly processed foods made from genetically modified crops, such as candy, edible oil and soda, will not be limited by this provision if the content of bioengineering components is less than 5%. In contrast, the EU standard for “accidental” bioengineering ingredients is 0.9%.
Source: China International Fisheries Expo
Post time: Jan-21-2022