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USA: GMO labelling required also for highly processed food ingredients
According to the consumer organisation Centre for Food Safety (CFS), this applies to 70 percent of all GM ingredients in the US, such as soybean oil from GM soybeans or corn syrup from GM corn. Since 2018, labelling requirements have been in place in the U.S. for foods containing genetically modified ingredients. The CFS, along with other U.S. food retailers and interest groups, had filed a lawsuit against individual provisions of this regulation. Products manufactured using new genetic engineering (NGT) are generally not subject to labelling requirements in the U.S.
In addition, the Court of Appeals confirmed that a QR code on GM foods is not sufficient as the sole form of labelling, as scanning a code with a smartphone represents too great a hurdle for consumers. However, the court rejected the third claim: The synonymous use of "bioengineered" instead of "genetically modified" was not classified as consumer deception. Nevertheless, the ruling, which is now being reheard in the district court, is considered a landmark victory by the plaintiffs. After the retrial, the amended labelling regulations must be implemented by the USDA.
The EU also has a positive labelling requirement for products made with GMO ingredients. There is currently a debate in Brussels about abolishing the genetic engineering labelling requirement and further eroding the regulations for most products made with new genetic engineering. If the EU deregulation for NGT is actually passed, consumers would no longer be able to know whether genetic engineering was used in the manufacture of their products. Only organic foods and products labelled with the "Ohne GenTechnik" (Non-GMO) seal would continue to be guaranteed.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik: US ruling: Genetically modified ingredients must be declared (German)
US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service: BE Disclosure
Now it is up to the European Parliament to save GMO labelling