NGFA commends USDA

(Posted on 07/01/19)

The USA’s National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) has commended the U.S. Department Agriculture’s (USDA) issuance of the final rule for the National Bioengineered Disclosure Standard.

As a member of the Steering Committee of the Safe Affordable Food Coalition, the NGFA said the rule, which USDA published on 20 December, provides consumers access to more information about the bioengineered content of the food they purchase, while providing for national uniformity in bioengineered food labeling that is essential to providing consumers with continued access to a safe, abundant and affordable food supply.

“The intent of the government-mandated bioengineered food disclosure standard is to inform, and not mislead, consumers and this final rule achieves this overridingly important objective,” NGFA noted.

NGFA and the American Feed Industry Association submitted joint comments on USDA’s proposed rule in July. NGFA said it is pleased the agency adopted many of their recommendations.

As the plain language of the law specifies, the new rule will require disclosure only when foods contain genetic material introduced through bioengineering.

“Importantly, animal feed and pet food, as well as meat, milk, eggs and other human food derived from animals fed bioengineered grains or other ingredients, are exempt from mandatory labeling,” NGFA added.

NGFA also strongly supports the final rule’s 5 percent disclosure threshold, which it said appropriately balances disclosure, market dynamics, and international trade, with such countries as Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam adopting such a labeling threshold.

The NGFA noted that the safe use of crop biotechnology in food long has been verified by numerous governmental, international and domestic scientific and regulatory bodies, including the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Medical Association, and the World Health Organization.

“Thus, the bioengineered food labeling standard is about providing more access to information to consumers; it most emphatically is not a food safety standard,” NGFA noted. USDA affirmed that the regulatory oversight provided by federal agencies ensures that foods produced using bioengineering methods meet all relevant federal health, safety and environmental standards.

The NGFA also commended USDA for relying upon customary and reasonable business records that traditionally are maintained as being sufficient for documenting compliance with the rule.

The NGFA, which recognizes that some consumers may want to know additional information about crops used to produce food, noted that USDA’s final rule allows for voluntary disclosure on labels for foods derived from bioengineered ingredients for foods that do not meet the definition of bioengineered foods because they do not contained bioengineered genetic material. Labeling is required by the Food and Drug Administration to be truthful and not misleading under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. 

Latest News

SSAB delivers decarbonised steel to Vattenfall’s solar park project in Germany

SSAB is supplying decarbonised steel to Vattenfall for the construction of the ground-mounted solar... Read more

NGFA statement on STB’s decision to conditionally accept rail merger application

In accordance with the Surface Transportation Board’s merger rules, the Board has conditionally... Read more

EU feed production market forecast highlights continued stability

FEFAC market experts are forecasting continued stability in the EU compound feed production market for... Read more

Fertilizer Action Plan: recognition must now translate into delivery

Fertilizers Europe has acknowledged the European Commission’s Fertilizer Action Plan, which recognises... Read more

Tripartite MOU to establish direct U.S.–DRC cobalt supply chain

Entreprise Générale du Cobalt, EVelution Energy LLC and Trafigura Pte Ltd. has announced... Read more

Commissioning of Oxelösund electric arc furnace delayed due to permitting

SSAB’s conversion of the mill in Oxelösund to fossil-free production is being delayed due... Read more

YEC agreement supports decarbonisation of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore operations

Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC), one of Australia’s largest Indigenous-led renewable energy... Read more

ASA Vice President urges caution in USTR Section 301 investigation

Soybean farmers are already facing significant economic headwinds and new trade actions could add further... Read more

ADM investment to upgrade Clinton, Iowa, corn processing facility

ADM, a global leader in innovative solutions from nature, has announced a multimillion-dollar investment... Read more

JV in Bayuquan, China to strengthen global raw material supply chains

CREMER ERZKONTOR GmbH has announced the official opening of its joint venture, CREMER (Yingkou) Supply... Read more