GMO is out, 'bioengineered' is in, as new U.S. food labeling rules take effect
Say goodbye to GMOs. The new term for foods created with a boost from science is "bioengineered."
As of Jan. 1, food manufacturers, importers and retailers in the U.S. must comply with a new national labeling standard for food that's been genetically modified in a way that isn't possible through natural growth.
Consumers will begin to see labels on some foods that say "bioengineered" or "derived from bioengineering," as the new federal standard takes hold and replaces the former patchwork of state-level requirements.
The change has been several years in the making. In 2016, Congress passed a law to establish a national benchmark for the labeling of genetically modified food in an attempt to give people more information about what they eat and standardize labels across the country. Sonny Perdue, who served as agriculture secretary during the Trump administration, announced the regulations in 2018.
"The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard increases the transparency of our nation's food system, establishing guidelines for regulated entities on when and how to disclose bioengineered ingredients," Perdue said at the time. "This ensures clear information and labeling consistency for consumers about the ingredients in their food."
But critics say the rules devised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will actually confuse consumers further and make it harder to know what's in any given product. One advocacy group has even sued the USDA to try to block the new regulations from taking effect.
The new rules give food producers a few options
Some commonly bioengineered foods include corn, canola, soybeans and sugar beets. Most GMO crops are used for animal feed, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But they are also used to make ingredients that routinely find their way into human diets, such as cornstarch, corn syrup, canola oil and granulated sugar.
The USDA says that the list of items on its website isn't exhaustive and that other foods with genetic modifications will be subject to the labeling rules.
Companies with products that qualify as bioengineered can comply with the new standard in several ways.
They can include text on food packages that says "bioengineered food" or "contains a bioengineered food ingredient." They can also use two logos approved by the USDA.
Finally, they can include a QR code for consumers to scan or a phone number for them to text that will provide more information about that food item.
The new standard applies to genetically modified foods as well as foods with genetically modified ingredients that are "detectable" by certain standards.
Shoppers who suspect an unlabeled item is actually a bioengineered food can file a complaint with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service.
Establishments like restaurants don't have to comply with the new rule, but they can do so voluntarily.
The logos are confusing and the rules don't go far enough, critics say
The Center for Food Safety, one advocacy group opposed to the new standard, says it makes it easier for companies to conceal what's in their products and leaves consumers in the dark.
Although there's no evidence that genetically modified crops are harmful to human health, according to the National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization, advocates say people still deserve to know what they're eating.
"These regulations are not about informing the public but rather designed to allow corporations to hide their use of genetically engineered ingredients from their customers," Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement.
The group has sued the USDA in federal court in an attempt to block the new rules. The case remains ongoing.
The new standard doesn't allow producers to use more common labeling terms like "GMO," the lawsuit argues, and it will leave out many foods that are "highly refined" or contain levels of bioengineered ingredients that aren't detectable, such as soda and cooking oil. The group estimates that the majority of genetically modified food are processed items with genetically modified ingredients.
Additionally, the new standard discriminates against the poor, the elderly, people who live in rural areas and minorities who may lack a smartphone or access to the internet, the group said. It also puts an "undue burden" on shoppers to scan food items in stores during a deadly pandemic, advocates have argued.
Producers have also argued that the rule changes come at a bad time, with the ongoing pandemic and supply-chain woes that's making it a challenge to meet consumer demand, The Washington Post reported.
The USDA declined to comment for this story, citing the pending lawsuit. But a spokesperson for the agency told the Post that the new rules are meant to balance the desire to keep consumers better informed with the interest of minimizing costs for producers.
Despite other criticism, groups such as the American Soybean Association and the National Corn Growers Association praised the new standard when it was announced in 2018, saying it would create more transparency in the food industry.
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GMO ni nje, 'bioengineered' ni katika, kama sheria mpya za Marekani za kuashiria chakula kuchukua athari Sema kwaheri kwa GMO. Neno jipya la vyakula vilivyotengenezwa kwa msaada wa sayansi ni "vya kibiolojia". Kuanzia Januari 1, wazalishaji wa chakula, waagizaji na wauzaji wa rejareja nchini Marekani lazima watimize kiwango kipya cha kitaifa cha kuashiria chakula ambacho kimebadilishwa kwa maumbile kwa njia ambayo haiwezekani kupitia ukuaji wa asili. "Watumiaji wataanza kuona lebo kwenye vyakula fulani vinavyosema ""bioengineered"" au ""kutokana na bioengineering,"" kama kiwango kipya cha shirikisho kinachukua na kuchukua nafasi ya mahitaji ya zamani ya kiwango cha serikali." Mabadiliko hayo yamekuwa yakifanywa kwa miaka kadhaa. Mwaka 2016, Bunge la Marekani lilipitisha sheria ya kuanzisha kiwango cha kitaifa cha kuashiria vyakula vilivyobadilishwa chembe za urithi, kwa lengo la kuwapa watu habari zaidi kuhusu kile wanachokula na kuunganisha maandiko ya vyakula hivyo. Sonny Perdue, aliyekuwa waziri wa kilimo wakati wa utawala wa Trump, alitangaza sheria hizo mwaka 2018. "Kifaa cha kitaifa cha kufichua chakula cha bioengineered kinaongeza uwazi wa mfumo wa chakula cha taifa letu, na kuanzisha miongozo kwa mashirika yaliyodhibitiwa juu ya wakati na jinsi ya kufichua viungo vya bioengineered, ""Perdoux alisema wakati huo." "Hii inahakikisha habari wazi na uthabiti wa kuashiria kwa watumiaji kuhusu viungo katika chakula chao". Lakini wakosoaji wanasema sheria zilizotungwa na Idara ya Kilimo ya Marekani kwa kweli zitawachanganya watumiaji zaidi na kufanya iwe vigumu kujua nini ndani ya bidhaa yoyote. Kikundi kimoja cha kutetea haki za binadamu kimemshtaki waziri wa kilimo wa Marekani ili kujaribu kuzuia sheria hizo mpya zisitumike. Sheria mpya zinawapa wazalishaji wa chakula chaguzi chache: Baadhi ya vyakula vya kawaida vya bioengineered ni pamoja na mahindi, canola, maharagwe ya soya na beet ya sukari. Mazao mengi ya GMO hutumiwa kwa ajili ya chakula cha wanyama, kulingana na Shirika la Chakula na Dawa. Lakini pia hutumiwa kutengeneza viungo ambavyo kwa kawaida hupata njia yao katika lishe ya binadamu, kama vile wanga wa mahindi, syrup ya mahindi, mafuta ya canola na sukari ya granulated. Wizara ya Kilimo ya Marekani imesema orodha ya vyakula vilivyo kwenye tovuti yake haijakamilika na kwamba vyakula vingine vilivyo na mabadiliko ya maumbile vitategemea sheria za kuorodhesha vyakula hivyo. Kampuni zilizo na bidhaa ambazo zinastahili kuwa za uhandisi wa kibiolojia zinaweza kufuata kiwango kipya kwa njia kadhaa. "Kama ilivyoelezwa kwenye vifurushi vya vyakula, ""Chakula cha Biolojia"" au ""Kina viungo vya vyakula vya Biolojia.""" Pia, unaweza kutumia alama mbili zilizokubaliwa na USDA. Pia, unaweza kutumia QR code au namba ya simu ili kuwasiliana na watumiaji na kuwapa habari zaidi kuhusu bidhaa hiyo. Kiwango kipya inatumika kwa chakula genetically iliyopita kama vile chakula na viungo genetically iliyopita kwamba ni "detectable" na viwango fulani. Kwa wale ambao wana shaka kwamba bidhaa isiyo na lebo ni chakula cha bioengineered, wanaweza kuwasilisha malalamiko kwa Huduma ya Uuzaji wa Kilimo ya USDA. Vituo kama vile mikahawa havihitaji kufuata sheria mpya, lakini vinaweza kufanya hivyo kwa hiari. "Logo hizo ni za kutatanisha na sheria hazipiti kiasi cha kutosha, ""The Center for Food Safety, kikundi kimoja cha utetezi kinachopinga kiwango kipya, anasema inafanya iwe rahisi kwa makampuni kuficha kile kilicho katika bidhaa zao na huacha watumiaji gizani." Ingawa hakuna ushahidi kwamba mazao yaliyobadilishwa chembe za urithi ni hatari kwa afya ya binadamu, kulingana na Chuo Kikuu cha Kitaifa cha Sayansi na Shirika la Afya Ulimwenguni, watetezi wanasema watu bado wanastahili kujua kile wanachokula. "Masharti haya hayana lengo la kuwahubiria watu, lakini yamekusudiwa kuruhusu makampuni kuficha matumizi yao ya viungo vilivyobadilishwa kwa maumbile kutoka kwa wateja wao, ""Andrew Kimball, mkurugenzi mtendaji wa Kituo cha Usalama wa Chakula, alisema katika taarifa." Shirika hilo limeshtaki Wizara ya Kilimo ya Marekani katika mahakama ya shirikisho katika jaribio la kuzuia sheria hizo mpya. Kesi hiyo bado inaendelea. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika kesi hiyo, kanuni mpya hairuhusu wazalishaji kutumia maneno ya kawaida ya kuashiria kama ""GMO"" na itaacha vyakula vingi ambavyo vimefanyiwa ""usafishaji mkubwa"" au vina viwango vya viungo vya uhandisi wa kibiolojia ambavyo haviwezi kugunduliwa, kama vile soda na mafuta ya kupikia." Kikundi hicho kinakadiria kwamba chakula kingi kilichobadilishwa chembe za urithi ni vyakula vilivyotengenezwa kwa viungo vilivyobadilishwa chembe za urithi. "Kwa kuongezea, kiwango hicho kipya kinatendea ubaguzi dhidi ya maskini, wazee, watu wanaoishi vijijini na watu wachache ambao wanaweza kukosa simu mahiri au upatikanaji wa mtandao, ""alisema kundi hilo." Pia inaweka "zito lisilo la lazima" kwa wanunuzi kuchunguza bidhaa za chakula katika maduka wakati wa janga la mauti, watetezi wamedai. "Wazalishaji pia wamesema kuwa mabadiliko ya sheria yanakuja wakati mbaya, na janga linaloendelea na shida za mlolongo wa usambazaji ambazo zinafanya kuwa changamoto kukidhi mahitaji ya watumiaji, ""The Washington Post iliripoti." Wizara ya Kilimo ya Marekani imekataa kutoa maoni juu ya madai hayo, ikisema kwamba kesi hiyo bado haijafikishwa mahakamani. "Lakini msemaji wa shirika hilo aliiambia gazeti la The Post kwamba sheria hizo mpya zinakusudiwa kusawazisha hamu ya kuwafanya watumiaji wawe na habari bora na maslahi ya kupunguza gharama kwa wazalishaji. """ Pamoja na upinzani wa makundi kama vile Chama cha American Soybean na Chama cha Taifa cha Wakulima wa Mahindi, viwango vipya vilipotangazwa mnamo 2018, vilisema vingeunda uwazi zaidi katika tasnia ya chakula. Copyright 2021 NPR Kwa maelezo zaidi, tembelea www.nl.org.