What is a bioengineered food?

A “bioengineered” plant or animal has had a new gene inserted into it to give it a useful trait, like making it resistant to a pest or disease, or enhancing its nutritional value. “Contains bioengineered food ingredients” means that at least one ingredient in the food — the soy protein in a plant-based burger, for instance — contains DNA from a new gene. At this time, only a handful of foods on the market are bioengineered, including some apples, canola, corn, eggplants, papayas, pineapples, potatoes and salmon. Most fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and beans don’t have a genetically modified version.

What will the disclosure look like on food packages?

Food products will say “contains a bioengineered ingredient” on the package, or they will have a round green label that says “bioengineered” or “derived from bioengineering,” or a label that will list a phone number to call or text for more information, or a QR code that takes you to an online disclosure.

If a food package doesn’t have a QR code or “BE” food label, is it free from genetically modified ingredients?

Not necessarily, and here’s where the loopholes come in, food advocates say. Under the new rule, a food does not contain genetic material if the genetic material is not “detectable.” If one or more of a food’s ingredients comes from a modified plant but the ingredients themselves contain no DNA from that plant, the label may carry a “derived from bioengineering” disclosure. But that’s voluntary. So, processed foods made from genetically engineered crops — like sodas, candies and cooking oils — that are so highly processed that no DNA remains, may not be labeled. And the USDA has built in some wiggle room, setting a threshold at 5 percent for the “unintended” presence of genetically engineered ingredients, so foods made from crops with less than 5 percent of that ingredient unintentionally bioengineered don’t need to be disclosed. The European Union’s standard is about five times lower, at 0.9 percent. “Consumers are left not knowing if it’s not present or if a food company just chose not to disclose,” said Peter Lurie, president of Center for Science in the Public Interest. Another loophole, Lurie said, is that the new disclosure rules don’t cover products that list meat, poultry or eggs as their first ingredient or their second ingredient after water, stock or broth. This means many prepared foods in the freezer aisle — meat lasagna or chicken burritos — may contain modified ingredients without disclosure.

Is an animal product considered a bioengineered food if the animal ate bioengineered feed?

No. For instance, the milk from a cow that ate bioengineered alfalfa is not considered a bioengineered food.

How do food companies validate their claims about ingredients?

There are three ways for a company to demonstrate to the USDA that modified genetic materials aren’t in their foods. Companies can keep records that show the food comes from a non-bioengineered crop or source; they can keep records verifying the food has been subjected to testing that genetic modification wasn’t detected; or they can keep testing records that confirm the absence of modified genetic material.

How will the new rule be enforced?

The USDA will respond to complaints. There will be no in-store spot checks of food products. Anybody who suspects a violation may have occurred can file a written complaint with the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service website . “The already overburdened consumer is going to have to spend four times as much time in the supermarket reading labels,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. “And now they’ll have to be USDA citizen investigators to make sure this law has some consequences.”

clockThis article was published more than 2 years ago

Business

The USDA’s new labeling for genetically modified foods goes into effect Jan. 1. Here’s what you need to know.

The agency has done away with familiar terms like ‘GMOs’ and has built in loopholes for tiny producers, and foods made with meat and eggs

By Laura Reiley

January 1, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST

A farmer holds soybeans from the previous season’s crop at his farm in southern Minnesota on July 18, 2018. Most soy grown in the United States are conventional, herbicide-tolerant GMOs. Though regulators say GMOs are safe, health and environmental worries have persisted and companies will soon have to disclose when products have bioengineered ingredients. (Jim Mone/AP)

Starting Jan. 1, labels at the grocery store are about to get a makeover on foods that have been genetically modified.

The goal was to get rid of the patchwork of different labels for foods and ingredients that have been scientifically tinkered with, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the move also puts a greater burden on consumers to do their homework to understand what the labels mean, food advocates say.