On December 20, the Department of Agriculture released the long-awaited “National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard” (GMO Labeling Rule). This rule has been the subject of a multi-year legislative battle in Congress to establish a federal standard for the labeling of genetically-modified foods.
“We’re pleased that USDA has provided clarity to the industry on the requirements for compliance and also offered some reasonable flexibility based upon feedback to previous versions of the rule,” said John Keeling, NPC CEO.
The establishment of an overriding federal standard was compelled by a growing patchwork of state and local standards that threatened the food supply chain with substantial legal and regulatory liability for failure to meet confusing and/or conflicting definitions of the technology. Those state and local standards are now prohibited by this federal regulation.