The United States has granted approval for the first food
label that claims there is no content of genetically-modified ingredients.
It opens the door to more similar labels and steps into a
long-standing controversy between those who oppose GMOs and those who support
them.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is demanding third-party
certification that the products that contain meat is from animals that have
never eaten GMO crops and that liquid egg products are from hens that never ate
rations that include GMO crops.
It’s likely to give a boost to organic farmers because they
won’t grow GMO varieties and must meet federal standards and auditing to claim
their crops are organic.
The labels will be granted only if the
third-party organization and the company can show that the claims are truthful,
accurate and not misleading, and provided there are resources to help consumers
understand exactly what the claims and certification mean, said Cathy Cochran,
a public affairs specialist with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety
Inspection Service.
Connecticut and Maine have passed laws this
spring to require labels for food that contain GMO materials, but neither law
can take effect until there is a bordering state that also passes similar
legislation.
Frankly, it would make just as much sense to me to label foods for whether they harvested on a sunny or a rainy day.
