The USDA released Its Proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard

In early May, the USDA released its proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard for public comment. The proposed new rule would require food manufacturers and other entities that label foods for retail sale to disclose if the product contains bioengineered food, or food ingredients. The rule includes a proposed definition for bioengineered food or food ingredients, the level required to trigger labelling, proposed exemptions, as well as options for labelling (a symbol, or electronic disclosure). USDA has a webinar available on the standard. The USDA is accepting comments on the proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard until July 3, 2018. To date, the USDA has received over 1000 comments after seeking public consultation. The USDA has stated that it is unlikely to meet the July 29th deadline to release the final rule.