Technology

THE LANGUAGE OF LABELS

What means what in the often-confusing world of food labeling

Editor’s Note: The food labels we encounter at the grocery store can prove complicated. We had writer Shauna L. Nosler investigate a variety of terms and explain what sets each one apart. Here is our guide to Food Labeling 101, based on definitions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. —Edible Indy

BIOENGINEERED FOODS contain detectable genetic material modified through lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.

The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law (July 2016) directs the USDA to establish a standard for disclosing foods that are or may be bioengineered. It requires food manufacturers, importers and certain retailers to ensure bioengineered foods are appropriately disclosed. Mandatory compliance is January 1, 2022.

“This law was passed to create an equal standard for GMOs across the country instead of having each statehave their own patchwork g t udbe y d u or d i to a ette r d if ry state dt e r n d d d u d ceasecosts tat wu d l ly be d

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state have their n patchwork regulations. It would be incredibly difficult for food companies to market their products if if ever every state had their own standard and would increase costs that would ultimately be ultimately be passed down to the consumer. ”

K —Katie ,Nelson, p program m n r,manager, y policy policy and and and regulator regulatory y affairs, affairs, affairs, f r for th the a S eIndiana State Indiana State D Department of Agriculturef Agriculture Agricultur

“The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard also avoids a patchwork state-by-state system that could be confusing to consumers.”

—U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

GENETIC ENGINEERED ORGANISMS (GEO) are produced by introducing, eliminating or rearranging specific genes. GE foods are modified by human manipulation where genes from an unrelated species are introduced in order to create a desirable trait. In other words, if the food is created through genetic engineering, it has been modified in ways that donotoccurnaturally. In 1996, 4.2 million acres of farmland do not occur na worldwide e covered with GE crop cultivation. By 2016, were covered with GE crop cultivation. By 2016, e more n than 457 million acres had GE crops, of which more than illion h fhalf wereinwere veloping countries. Of the major crops (corn, soybean), 53% had been introduced a trait for ance (HT); 14% for insect resistance (IR); and 3 T and IR.

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were in developing canola, cotton, soybean), 53% had been introduced a trait for herbicide tolerance (HT); 14% for insect resistance (IR); and 33% for both HT and IR.

G C Y MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMO)GENETICALLY

a are produced hrough genetic modification. In a GMO, DNA through genetic modification. In a GMO, DNA i is altered to reate a specific desirable trait (like drought create a specific desirable trait (like drought t tolerance or herbicide resistance). The modification can herbicide resistance). The modification can h yhappen by by d tional methods, such as crossbreeding of plantstraditional traditional w within the e species, or by human manipulation. Somesame c countries than the U.S. use this term to refer specificallyother than the U.S. use this term to refer specifically t to i genetic ineering. engineering.