BE foods can bear a text disclosure (such as "
Bioengineered food"), a symbol disclosure, an electronic or digital link disclosure or a text message disclosure (e.g., Text [command word] to [number] for
bioengineered food information.) The NBFDS disclosure labels and labeling placement details are available on the Agricultural Marketing Service website.
It also developed a list of
bioengineered foods, including eggplant and corn, to identify foods available in bioengineered form throughout the world.
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) developed a list of
bioengineered foods to identify the crops or foods that are available in a bioengineered form throughout the world and for which regulated entities must maintain records.
Among other things, the Secretary's regulations must "prohibit a food derived from an animal to be considered a
bioengineered food solely because the animal consumed feed produced from, containing, or consisting of a bioengineered substance" and must "determine the amounts of a bioengineered substance that may be present in food, as appropriate, in order for the food to be a
bioengineered food." (240) Moreover, if a food is certified as "organic" under the OFPA, "the certification shall be considered sufficient to make a claim regarding the absence of bioengineering in the food, such as 'not bioengineered', 'non-GMO', or another similar claim." (241)
"FDA takes a case-by-case approach to the safety assessment of
bioengineered foods," says Herndon.
One of the hottest consumer protection topics surrounding
bioengineered foods is whether they should be labeled.
Unlike their counterparts in the United States, Europeans have demonstrated strong skepticism of the biotechnology industry's claims that there are no adverse health effects associated with consuming
bioengineered food. Europeans are also wary of the unintentional - and deleterious - introduction of genes or substances into the environment.
That 2016 law called for a National
Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard to "provide uniform information to consumers," said USDA, and the agency says it also tried to "minimize implementation and compliance costs for the food industry."
Salmon genetically modified to grow faster are the newest battleground in the
bioengineered food debate.
Although the FDA has thus far not required labeling of GMOs unless the
bioengineered food is materially different from its conventional counterpart, the issue is not going away.
Bioengineered food commodities that are either hitting the market or in late stages of development include soybeans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and oilseeds.