FMI Comments on USDA Proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard

ARLINGTON, VA - The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) filed comments this week on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Proposed Rule for the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, which sets forth requirements and procedures for disclosing bioengineered (BE) foods in a consistent way across the country. Food Marketing Institute President and Chief Executive Officer, Leslie G. Sarasin, said:

“FMI members are fully committed to providing their customers with the wealth of information they increasingly want and are considered a trusted resource regarding the foods they sell (U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends). We agree that a consistent, uniform national standard will help meet this growing consumer desire for transparency in the food supply without creating unnecessary confusion. 

“While FMI members will work to implement the rule as soon as possible after it is finalized by USDA, an adequate and orderly implementation timeline is important both to prevent disruption in the supply chain and to avert avoidable cost increases. We also encourage USDA to adopt a robust consumer education campaign to inform consumers about the new disclosure standard and how best to understand it. FMI would be pleased to partner in these efforts, which align with our own campaign to help consumers understand the wealth of information available for the nearly 28,000 products already utilizing digital disclosure methods such as SmartLabel™.”