NCGA Pleased by USDA Issuing Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard Labeling Rule

Key agricultural and farm groups today praised the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) public release of the final rule implementing the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard.

Designed to inform consumers about the presence of bioengineered genetic material in their food for marketing purposes, USDA’s disclosure standard stands firmly with science in that it validates the fact that there is no health, safety or nutritional difference between bioengineered crops and comparable conventional or organic crops. This is a position held by nearly every major national and international scientific and health organization, including the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization.

“America’s corn farmers need a consistent, transparent system to provide consumers with information without stigmatizing important, safe technology. Thus, we are pleased with the issuance of these rules and look forward to reviewing the details in the coming days,” said NCGA President Lynn Chrisp, a farmer from Nebraska. “NCGA came together with stakeholders from across the value chain to support enactment of the Bioengineered Food Disclosure Act, because it prevented a state-by-state patchwork of labeling laws, that would have cost U.S. consumers, farmers and manufacturers billions of dollars. We are hopeful that this rule will be a major step in achieving our important, shared goals.”

NCGA will be reviewing the rule in greater detail over the coming days.

To view the rule in its entirety, click here.