Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 8/25/16


USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has set a deadline of Oct. 24, 2016, for submitting comments on its program for approving negative claims for meat, poultry and egg products that do not contain bioengineered ingredients, or that are derived from livestock that do not consume bioengineered feed, and that contain the terms "genetically modified organism" or "GMO," the agency said in a news release.

The agency outlined the program in an earlier Federal Register notification.

The agency also has posted compliance guidelines for such claims. Previously, FSIS did not allow the use of the terms “genetically modified organism” or “GMO” in negative claims unless the name of a third-party certifying organization contained these terms — for example, “Non-GMO Project.”

However, recent legislation was enacted requiring the secretary of agriculture to develop and implement a mandatory national bioengineered food disclosure standard within two years. In the wake of such legislation, FSIS is allowing the use of the terms “genetically modified organism” or “GMO” in negative claims provided that the label or labeling is otherwise truthful and not misleading.

FSIS has developed a compliance guide for companies that seek to make label or labeling claims concerning the fact that bioengineered or GM ingredients were not used in a meat, poultry or egg product.

Consistent with past practices, FSIS will continue to allow the use of synonymous terms such as “genetically engineered.” If FSIS has approved an organic claim on the product label, establishments may add an applicable negative claim of the kind discussed in the guidance.

Because FSIS cannot independently verify negative claims for ingredients or feed, the agency has required establishments that make these claims to comply with standards established by a third-party certifying organization. FSIS currently requires that the third-party certifying organization’s standards be publicly available on a website and the label or labeling disclose the website address of the third-party certifying organization.

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