So, what’s really going on with the “bioengineered” we’re seeing everywhere on food labels these days? The short answer is in 2016 Congress passed a national mandatory standard for disclosing foods that are bioengineered, that went into effect January 1. 2022. Here’s an explanation from the US Department of Agriculture:
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard on December 20, 2018. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law, passed by Congress in July of 2016, directed USDA to establish this national mandatory standard for disclosing foods that are or may be bioengineered.
The Standard defines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.
The implementation date of the Standard is January 1, 2020, except for small food manufacturers, whose implementation date is January 1, 2021. The mandatory compliance date is January 1, 2022. Regulated entities may voluntarily comply with the Standard until December 31, 2021.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/be
It’s understandable that with the radical environmentalist dietary ideas we keep hearing about, like eating bugs and other lab produced meat substitutes, to eliminate meat consumption, that seeing “bioengineered” on labels could be disturbing.
After a bit of googling, apparently America has a long history, going back to the 1860s, with the federal government establishing safe food processing and handling regulations and food labeling. Here’s information from a 2018 University of Texas at Austin article:
For many consumers, food labels are a primary source of information about the foods and products they eat. Because of this, it is important that these labels are trustworthy, and that companies are held accountable for the claims printed onto their products.
First, to understand the importance of food labels, let’s look at why food labels were created. Originally, food labeling emerged as a safety precaution for consumers due to foodborne illness outbreaks in the 1850’s. One of the most notable deaths related to food borne illness at this time was the death of President Zachary Taylor after consuming contaminated fruit and milk at a picnic. After this highly publicized death, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln which led to the creation of strict guidelines for food handling and processing. However, it would be 128 years before a recognizable nutritional facts panel was mandated on all food products.
Until the 1960’s, most Americans prepared the majority of their meals at home, but with a shift in consumer demand for prepared products came a public demand for detailed production information. By 1966, the USDA mandated that a list of ingredients must be placed on all products participating in interstate commerce due to consumer demand for accurate production information.
Dietary and health advice abound, along with people very emotionally invested in their food choices. Many people also have food allergies and medical problems impacting their food choices, so knowing what we’re buying is important.
Reading labels carefully remains a good habit to follow and contacting manufacturers if you have questions or concerns can help alleviate worries. This January 5, 2022 NPR article, GMO is out, ‘bioengineered’ is in, as new U.S. food labeling rules take effect, stated, “Shoppers who suspect an unlabeled item is actually a bioengineered food can file a complaint with the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.”
As far as insects as a food source, there’s some confusion, as insects in foods have generally been looked at from a food contamination perspective, so assuredly new guidelines and regulations will likely emerge if eating insects becomes part of the American diet. Here’s a 2019 CNN story, if you’re up to this: Bugs, rodent hair and poop: How much is legally allowed in the food you eat every day?
And with that, I’m going to end this blog post and go eat lunch.
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