New Mexico Sens. Call for On-Package Labeling When USDA Rolls Out GMO Regulations Next Year
New Mexico senators called for an upcoming Agriculture Department rule to direct the use of clear, on-package labels for genetically modified organism ingredients in food labeling, in a letter dated Nov. 8. Legislation signed into law in July 2016 requires…
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USDA to develop a standard by July 29, 2018, for the disclosure of the presence of GMO ingredients in food via printed text, symbol or digital link, including a digitally scannable quick response (QR) code (see 1607140058). In their letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall said the option to use QR codes would pose challenges to some rural and older Americans’ ability to access nutritional information. “QR codes or other electronic disclosure methods should not be used until broadband internet access and smartphone adoption are near universal, and no longer present obstacles to consumer access to bioengineered ingredient information.” Heinrich and Udall also called for digital or electronic disclosure methods to not be employed until all grocery stores provide QR code scanners in “every aisle” and until they provide secure high-speed internet for shoppers who would like to use their smartphones to access the disclosures.