Author: Catherine

You may have noticed a new label on some foods from the grocery store with a word that some people are finding disconcerting or at the least confusing — “bioengineered.” So what is a bioengineered food ingredient and why are those labels suddenly showing up on food packaging? In 2016, Congress passed the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standardrequiring food manufacturers, importers, and certain retailers to disclose foods that have been bioengineered, and Jan. 1, 2022, was the date for mandatory compliance. You may be more familiar with the terms “genetically modified,” or “GMO.” The new standard replaces those terms with “bioengineered,” or “BE.” Are bioengineered foods safe? A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committeeexamined in-depth the potentia...

On Jan. 1, the long-running public debate about labeling genetically modified foods entered a new phase. A U.S. federal rule went into effect mandating that food companies disclose whether their products contain a detectable amount of recombinant DNA — genetic material from multiple sources combined through lab techniques to confer desired traits. The new policy requires that those foods be labeled as "bioengineered," or carry a QR code and phone number that customers can use to find that information. Since the law requiring the rule change was passed in 2016, it has sparked a predictable backlash. Groups like the nonprofit Center for Food Safety and a coalition of advocates known as Citizens for GMO Labeling have pushed against the regulation, arguing it doesn't do enough to protect cons...