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

NGFA applauds reintroduction of HAULS Act

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) has applauded Senator Deb. Fischer’s (R-Neb.) reintroduction... Read more

Anglo American and Teck receive approval for merger of equals

Anglo American plc and Teck Resources Limited have received regulatory approval from the Government... Read more

Rhodes Ridge $191m feasibility study on Pilbara iron ore mine

The Rhodes Ridge Joint Venture has approved a $191 million (A$294 million) (Rio Tinto share $96 million... Read more

Strong metals trading as Trafigura publishes annual results

Trafigura Group Pte Ltd, a global leader in the commodities industry, has announced its financial results... Read more

Rio Tinto’s Nuton technology produces first copper

Rio Tinto has successfully produced the first copper from the Johnson Camp mine in Arizona using its... Read more

US soy and Uzbekistan sign MoU to expand trade

The American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health programme and the... Read more

KNAC and Rio Tinto sign updated agreement

Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation (KNAC) Registered Native Title Body Corporate and Rio Tinto... Read more

OCI Global announces sale of OCI Ammonia Holding to AGROFERT

OCI Global, a leading global producer and distributor of nitrogen products has announced that it has... Read more

Court of Appeal confirms permit for new steel plant in Luleå

In December 2024, SSAB was granted a permit by the Land and Environment Court at Umeå District... Read more

Simandou partners celebrate start of operations

The President of the Republic of Guinea has joined project partners WCS1, Baowu, Chinalco and Rio Tinto... Read more