Posted April 3, 2014
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon
finalize its voluntary guidance on labeling for genetically modified foods,
according to an article by Agri-Pulse available here.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, testifying before a
House panel last week, told lawmakers, “We have supported voluntary labeling
and we put out a proposed guidance with respect to plant-based modified foods
and we hope to finalize that that soon.”
In 2001, FDA issued a voluntary
guidance allowing companies to label their foods as free from GMOs provided
that the labels meet certain federal requirements.
Hamburg also said that the agency remains comfortable
with a “1992 policy decision concluding that food made with genetically
modified organisms – or GMOs – is not materially different from other products”
according to an article by The Hill available here.
“We have not seen any evidence of safety risks
associated with genetically modified foods,” Hamburg said.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) criticized the FDA’s
unwillingness to impose mandatory labeling requirements, saying, “It’s beyond
me that we can’t have accurate labeling…The labeling can’t hurt anybody but it’s
possible that the lack of adequate labeling could, of course.”
“There’s no scientific basis for concern,” said Rep.
Tom Latham (R-IA).
For more information on food labeling, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
