Campbell’s to begin disclosing GMO ingredients

Posted January 21, 2016

Campbell Soup Company will become the first major food company to begin disclosing the presence of genetically engineered ingredients like corn, soy and sugar beets in its products.

 

In a letter to the company's employees, posted on Campbell's website, Campbell's CEO Denise Morrison wrote that the company was responding to consumers, but also wanted to avoid conflicting demands for GMO labeling by individual states. "Printing a clear and simple statement on the label is the best solution for consumers and for Campbell," Morrison wrote.
 
Most of the food industry, along with the FDA, has opposed mandatory labeling of GMOs. The FDA contends there is no reason to require such labels because current GMO ingredients are identical, nutritionally, to conventional ingredients.

The food industry's opposition to GMO labels is partly based on fear that some people would avoid products with a GMO label. This assumption about consumer behavior has rarely been tested, and Campbell's may be betting that most consumers of Campbell's soups and Prego pasta sauces may not actually react to a GMO label. The company says that even if the government does not require GMO labels, it will label its products anyway.

Other food companies are printing labels to comply with a new labeling law in Vermont, which is a battleground over labeling that other states have watched closely. Beginning July 1, Vermont will require disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients, a measure opposed by most major food companies, which are seeking to supersede any state’s legislation with a voluntary federal solution.

Campbell's is also calling for federal action to mandate a uniform labeling system of foods that contain such ingredients, commonly known as GMO labeling. Other companies have reformulated a handful of products to replace such ingredients. General Mills now produces non-GMO Cheerios, and others have put labels on some products verifying that they contain no genetically engineered components.

But none have gone as far as Campbell, whose move recalls Whole Foods Markets, which announced it would require all products sold in its stores to have labels disclosing the presence of ingredients from genetically altered crops.

Other grocers like Kroger and Safeway are highlighting their selection of organic products, which by law cannot contain any genetically modified ingredients. The number of products verified by the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit group that certifies foods that are free of ingredients from genetically engineered sources, is now in the tens of thousands.

More information is available here.

(Photo courtesy U of Arkansas Division of Agriculture)

USDA's AMS pulls standard for grass fed, naturally-raised meat

Posted January 14, 2016

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the USDA provides the livestock and meat industries with an option to voluntarily have marketing claims covered by AMS standards verified by the USDA, and to identify such claims as “USDA Certified”.  AMS established standards for grass (forage) fed livestock marketing claims in 2007 and for naturally raised marketing claims in 2009.

On January 11, AMS announced that the “grass fed” and “naturally raised” marketing claims do not fit within the agency’s statutory authority.  AMS published a notice in the Federal Register to withdraw the United States Standards for Livestock and Meat Marketing Claims, effective Jan. 12, 2016. The organization further explained that persons seeking to use these USDA-verified claims on product labels must receive pre-approval from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) or meet FDA labeling requirements.  AMS concluded that because it does not have express Congressional authority to define these claims, and because there is no guarantee that an USDA-verified production/marketing claim will be approved by FSIS or permitted by FDA, the standards for marketing claims “do not facilitate the marketing of agricultural products in a manner that is useful to stakeholders or consumers.” 

Current users of the USDA Grass (Forage) Fed Marketing Claim Standard must identify a new Grass-fed Standard their company intends to meet by February 11, 2016 and must implement the new standard by April 11, 2016. This may be accomplished by (1) converting the USDA Grass (Forage) Fed Marketing Claim Standard into their private grass-fed standard, (2) using another recognized grass-fed standard, or (3) developing a new grass-fed standard.  There are no current users of the USDA Naturally Raised Marketing Claim Standard.  Although AMS has identified a legitimate issue – lack of coordination between partner agencies – AMS’ solution has drawn criticism from those who say the policy will create non-uniform labels and erode consumer trust in “grass fed” claims.

More information and notice of the withdrawal may be viewed here.