[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Non-GMO certification program viable [/title][fusion_text]Friday, June 26th 2015
The chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research, says that the success of USDA’s marketing programs indicate a proposed non-GMO certification program could be a viable solution for consumers wanting to avoid genetically engineered food products. The discussion draft of the Pompeo bill, which the Energy/Commerce and Agriculture Committees worked together to craft, proposes a similar program for food products that manufacturers want to label as “non-GMO.” AMS also runs a process verified program (PVP) for many food claims, including Perdue’s brand for cage-free and Tyson’s no-antibiotics-ever chicken. USDA recently provided a non-GMO PVP for SunOpta, a Minnesota-based organic and specialty foods company. Morris noted that the PVP program only verifies that the companies are properly completing their own processes and standards for its claims. So, USDA did not establish a non-GMO standard or threshold through the PVP. The use of genetic engineering, or GMOs, is prohibited in organic products, USDA notes. However, products that claim to be “non-GMO” are not necessarily produced with organic standards. During the hearing, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., argued that polls indicate consumers want mandatory GMO labels on food products, so the government should provide them, instead of “coming up with a standard for non-GMO.”
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