USA: smiley label for GMO foods introduced

GMWatch UK informed about the proposals of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to label food that contains genetically engeneered ingredients. The drafts show smileys and sunny faces as labels.

After years of fighting for labeling GMO in food (Right to know movement and others) the US administration is now preparing the labeling. Already in 2016 a law gave the task to the agricultural agency to decide about the label. But now the drafts for a label turned out quite absurd: smileys and sunny faces have a rare information about the true problem of GMO contamination. Foods containing GMOs could be labelled “BE,” “bioengineered,” or even “may be bioengineered.” Fact is than more than 90 % of US corn and soybeans is genetically modified already. The agency also decided that consumers don’t need to know if food has been modified using CRISPR.

The 106-page National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard was released on May 3. The public has two months to comment on the proposal.