The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published a final rule on December 21, 2018, implementing the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS). Beginning on January 1, 2022, the NBFDS will require manufacturers, importers, and retailers that package or sell food in bulk to disclose the presence of bioengineered food or food ingredients on product labels intended for retail sale.
YOUR SOURCE ON FOOD LITIGATION AND REGULATION
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) updated two labeling guidelines involving animal raising claims in December. Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims (Animal-Raising Claims Guideline) discusses the current requirements for substantiating a variety of animal-raising claims (e.g., Raised without Antibiotics, Grass Fed, Raised Without the Use of Hormones).
To BE or Not to BE? USDA Finalizes Rule Establishing National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published its final rule (NBFDS Final Rule) on December 21 establishing a nationwide labeling disclosure requirement for foods containing bioengineered (BE) ingredients, defined as foods or substances that contain genetic material that has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) techniques and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or be found in nature. While a more thorough analysis is still being conducted, here we provide a summary of the major topics addressed in the NBFDS Final Rule.