The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is reminding food manufacturers, importers and retailers who package and label food for retail sale or who sell bulk food items that the mandatory compliance date for the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard is Jan. 1, 2022.
An important mission of AMS is the management of mandatory food labelling programs that provide important information to consumers. As the compliance date for the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard approaches, AMS is also reminding food manufacturers, importers and retailers who package and label food for retail sale or sell bulk food items of the tools AMS has made available to assist them with compliance and disclosure to consumers about the bioengineered status of foods.
These tools include an overview webinar, a disclosure determination tool, and guidance on testing methods and validation of refining processes, all of which are available on the AMS website. AMS regularly updates the BE FAQ page based on requests for clarification from regulated entities regarding application of the standard and to support compliance. AMS officials have actively coordinated and participated in educational and outreach events to raise awareness of the bioengineered food disclosure standard and its requirements and will continue to do so in support of compliance.
Passed by Congress in 2016, the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard provides a uniform national standard for the labeling of bioengineered foods. The standard defines a bioengineered food as a food that contains genetic material that has been modified through in vitro rDNA techniques and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature. AMS published a final rule to implement the bioengineered food disclosure standard in December 2018.
Additional questions about applicability, recordkeeping or disclosures can be directed to befooddisclosure@usda.gov.
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