An industry advocate/lobbying group “AHPA” (American Herbal Products Association) to which Seagate is a long-time member, just reported “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued a final rule on December 20 that establishes the new national mandatory bioengineered (BE) food disclosure standard. The final rule does not incorporate significant revisions recommended by AHPA and consumer groups that were aimed at ensuring U.S. consumers can discern if their food includes genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or ingredients derived from GMOs.” The GMO industry and these other rats are the only ones happy.
Consumer groups and the AHPA requested the following from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) and all these items were denied:
- Adopt the common terms used to describe bioengineering, i.e., “genetically modified,” “genetically engineered” and “GMO”
- Define “BE” food to include all relevant GMO techniques
- Extend labeling requirement to include refined products and ingredients that are derived from GMO crops
- Set the threshold for disclosure of GMO content at 0.9% for consistency with international standards
- Revise the design of the BE symbol options to avoid any emotive quality or any implication that GMO content in a food is a benefit or additional value in the food
“Because the proposed rule was not significantly revised, it is very unlikely that Americans will be provided with a reasonably accessible way to know if their food contains genetically modified ingredients,” said AHPA President Michael McGuffin. “The final rule doesn’t require disclosure of the information consumers are demanding for highly refined ingredients and contravenes the intent of the GMO labeling law.”
So consumers you lose. The GMO providers have successfully made it so that you will have no idea what you are eating.
The current USDA list of Bioengineered foods available worldwide (by the Agricultural Marketing Service) includes:
- Alfalfa (pdf)
- Apple (ArcticTM varieties) (pdf)
- Canola (pdf)
- Corn (pdf)
- Cotton (pdf)
- Eggplant (BARI Bt Begun varieties) (pdf)
- Papaya (ringspot virus-resistant varieties) (pdf)
- Pineapple (pink flesh varieties) (pdf)
- Potato (pdf)
- Salmon (AquAdvantage®) (pdf)
- Soybean (pdf)
- Squash (summer) (pdf)
- Sugarbeet (pdf)
Good luck to you. Hopefully you have a backyard and can begin growing your own vegetables. Or take a dive at sunset and try and forget that there is not much left that you can eat.
