The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognizes that many consumers are interested in whether food ingredients are derived from genetically engineered (GE) plants. Therefore, the agency has issued final guidance for manufacturers who wish to voluntarily label their foods as containing or not containing such ingredients.
While genetic engineering is sometimes referred to as “genetic modification” producing “genetically modified organisms (GMOs),” the FDA considers “genetic engineering” to be the more precise term. If manufacturers wish to label their food as not being produced using genetic engineering, we recommend they use terms such as “not genetically engineered,” “not bioengineered,” or “not genetically modified through the use of modern biotechnology.”
Foods derived from genetically engineered plants must meet the same safety, labeling, and other regulatory requirements that apply to all foods regulated by the FDA.
As articulated in its 1992 “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties,” the agency is not aware of any information showing that foods derived from genetically engineered plants, as a class, differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way. These foods also don’t present different or greater safety concerns than their non-genetically engineered counterparts. However, if a food derived from a genetically engineered plant is materially different from its traditional counterpart, the labeling of that food must disclose such differences.
The FDA has required additional labeling of food derived from a GE source where it found that compositional differences resulted in material changes. For example, when the FDA learned during a consultation that a new canola oil had increased lauric acid content compared to conventional canola oil, the agency required the oil to be labeled “laurate canola oil.” Similarly, soybean oil containing higher levels of oleic acid than conventional soybean oil must be labeled “high oleic soybean oil.” Also, soybean oil containing significant levels of stearidonic acid must be labeled “stearidonate soybean oil” because stearidonic acid is not found in conventional soybean oil.
