NEWS | INTERNATIONAL
Obama signs mandatory GMO labelling bill as key hurdle to consumer transparency is cleared Mandatory labelling heralds a new era of transparency, as the food industry also embraces labelling but say GM foods are safe for consumers
USA – The labelling of food and beverage products that contain genetically modified ingredients has become mandatory in the US after President Obama finally signed a bill, after the House of Representatives and the Senate passed it last month. Signing of the bill into law forestalls what a number of American states have tried over the last few years to do - enacting their own legislations to force mandatory labelling of GM products, in which the state of Vermont succeeded. Vermont’s law came into force on July 1, but with this bill, its effect will be lost. In a move that is seen as a win for farmer groups, the food and beverage industry and the biotech industry, Obama’s action strikes down the ability of states to write their own patchy legislations that could have forced companies to meet separate legislations in each of the states in the country. After many years of intense and many a times ugly debate about the need to inform consumers of the presence of GM ingredients in food products by pressure groups and health advocates, consumers across the US enter a new era of transparency concerning the type of food products they are eating. The subject of GMOs remains one of the most divisive in the country. 6
JULY 2016 | FOOD BUSINESS AFRICA
Under the bill, all food products with GM ingredients will have the fact stated on the packaging through text or sign, on a website or using a QR code – the latter of which has brought controversy, with critics saying that it discriminates those without smartphones. The debate on whether to label GM or not has and continues to divide the food and beverage industry, with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a grouping of major players in the food sector, saying that “GM ingredients (are) not only safe for people and our planet, but also (have) a number of important benefits.” The US Food and Drugs Administration also maintain that GM products are safe. GMA estimates that 70-80% of food products in the US have GM content. Supporting the signing of the bill, Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of GMA, said “This legislation will open a new era for transparency in ingredient information for consumers, by requiring disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients for families in every state across the nation. Its consistent national standard is far better than a costly and confusing patchwork of different state labeling”. “Food and beverage companies fully embrace the importance of making
available to consumers the information they want about their products, and are already doing something about it. Our innovative SmartLabel technology initiative puts detailed information about thousands of products right at the fingertips of consumers – more information than could ever fit on a package,” Pamela added, saying that the GMA expects over 34,000 products will use the technology by end of 2017. With a rising tide from consumers for the labelling of products with GM content, a number of food companies including ConAgra, Campbell Soup and General Mills decided to voluntarily label their products with GM content, in time to meet Vermont’s law, as they pushed for a national law to enforce mandatory labelling of food products with GM content. An increasing number, including Dannon USA, have recently announced new product lines that eliminate the use of GM ingredients in order to placate consumers who are increasingly gravitating towards more natural, minimally processed products. The US Department of Agriculture has two years within which to put the rules to implement the legislation.
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