Bioengineered Food Labels to Appear in U.S. Stores in 2022

Beginning January 2022, the US will require many genetically engineered foods to be labeled in accordance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2018. The USDA has published answers to Frequently Asked Questions and an online Disclosure Determination Tool to help entities establish if they need to disclose as a bioengineered food.

Under the standard, companies will have four options for the labeling of bioengineered foods:

1. Food may be labeled with the phrase “bioengineered food” or “contains a bioengineered food ingredient”;

2. Food may be labeled with the bioengineered symbol;

3. Food may be labeled with an electronic or digital link, such as a QR code, allowing the customer to access information with a smartphone or other device; or,

4. Packaged foods can be labeled with instructions that customers can use to receive a text message for more information containing the required bioengineered food disclosure.