Food makers would be allowed to use a circular logo with the initials “BE” to identify foods made with GMO ingredients under a labeling rule proposed by the USDA. The proposal is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register today along with the FDA’s announcement of an 18-month delay, to Jan. 1, 2020, for food companies to use the updated Nutrition Facts label.
When Congress passed the GMO labeling law in mid-2016, it gave the USDA two years to write the rules for industry to follow. The rule proposed by the USDA offers various ways to define GMO foods and what the labels would look like. There are three proposals for the “BE” — bioengineered — logo: one with capital letters and two with lowercase letters. By law, companies have the option of using a symbol, a digital link, or a printed label.
“This rule will keep consumers in the dark, as it is intended,” said the consumer group Food and Water Watch. The use of “BE” or “bioengineered” to identify GMO foods is deceptive, because most people don’t know the meaning, said the group, which also said that loopholes will allow companies to skirt an outright declaration of GMO contents.
The American Farm Bureau Federation said the USDA rule “is fair and ensures that food facts win the day over food hype.” The Just Label It campaign said the rule should cover all GMO foods, including oils and sugars. Some industry groups say there is no identifiable GMO component after raw crops are processed. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) said its “SmartLabel” initiative is proof that digital disclosure is a viable option.
Meanwhile, the FDA said that a delay in the effective date would ensure that food companies are ready for the new Nutrition Facts label. Food makers have raised technical concerns about compliance and need more time to put the updated labels on their products, it said. The label, which was updated for the first time in 2016, was to have taken effect this July. The GMA said there were still open questions about fiber content.
“The reality is that the labels are already on 29,000 products on grocery shelves, and more appear weekly,” said the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group. “Today’s announcement should be a call to action for companies to provide consumers the information they want now rather than waiting for the legal deadline.”