As USDA Action Nears, More than 70,000 Americans Call for Clear GMO Disclosures Without Industry Loopholes

For Immediate Release

September 5, 2017

As USDA Action Nears, More than 70,000 Americans Call for Clear GMO Disclosures Without Industry Loopholes

WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of consumers have directly demanded that the US Department of Agriculture reject Big Ag’s efforts to exclude sugars, oils and newer forms of genetic engineering from the agency’s soon-to-be released draft GMO disclosure requirements.

Just Label It (JLI) issued a call to action signed by more than 70,000 Americans, urging the Trump administration to stand with roughly 90 percent of Americans and put in place a mandatory GMO disclosure standard for the food and beverage industries so consumers can easily see if products have been genetically modified or contain GMO ingredients.

“Unless all GMO ingredients and genetic engineering technologies are included in USDA’s final disclosure standards, the vast majority of Americans who demand transparency on GMOs will continue to be left in the dark,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of JLI. “The Trump administration should stand squarely with the public and push ahead with a clear, consumer-friendly labeling standard for all GMO foods, including sugars, oils and all methods of genetic engineering.”

Legislation signed into law last year by President Obama requires the USDA to draft rules establishing a nationwide mandatory GMO disclosure system.

Important decisions still rest in the USDA’s hands, including how to define a GMO and how GMO ingredients will be disclosed. But lobbyists for Big Ag are pressuring the USDA to create a special loophole for GMO sugars and oils, which could leave many foods made with genetically engineered ingredients unlabeled and keep American consumers in the dark.

The Just Label It action to the USDA, which has already garnered more than 70,000 emails, contains these demands:

1) Disclose All GMOs – All GMO foods – including foods with GMO ingredients like refined sugars and oils, and foods with ingredients derived from all forms of genetic engineering – must carry GMO disclosures.

2) Ingredient-by-Ingredient Disclosures – GMO foods should be labeled on an ingredient-by-ingredient basis so that consumers know exactly which ingredients are produced with genetic engineering when they are at the grocery store.

3) Rules for Digital Options – Some companies may try to hide the presence of GMOs behind QR codes. The USDA must create rules to ensure that these codes are easy to scan and work every time, and it must require that retailers provide scanners in every aisle for consumers who do not have smartphones.

4) No More Delays – Americans have waited long enough for GMO disclosures. The USDA must meet its two-year deadline.