Advocates arguing for greater transparency about the use of GMOs in food scored a minor victory this month after a district court told USDA to re-work the digital disclosure portions of the bioengineered food labeling law, which came into effect in January....
Claims in high-profile false advertising case vs Dannon not plausible, court rules
A judge has granted Dannon’s motion to dismiss a high-profile false advertising lawsuit alleging shoppers were misled by its ‘all-natural’ claims on dairy products from cows that may have eaten GM feed.
Food and beverage manufacturers must work with the government and other stakeholders to overcome significant, but not insurmountable, challenges if they want to use QR codes or other digital technology to convey when products include genetically modified...
By Jay W. Connolly, Edward F. Maluf and Owen Wolfe, attorneys, Seyfarth Shaw
One of the hottest topics in the food, beverage and dietary supplement industries, for both producers and advertisers, remains the disclosure of genetically modified organisms, or ‘GMOs,’ in these products.
CANADA: House of Commons to vote on GMO labeling bill on May 17
Members of the Canadian Parliament will decide whether to approve mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods in a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
In many ways, the conversation about GMOs has been a debate about good versus evil, but ingredient supplier Cargill wants to shift the discussion to one simply about choice – a goal that one executive says can only be achieved if manufacturers and suppliers...
Should brands making dairy products from cows that may have consumed GM feed be allowed to market their wares as ‘all natural’? Absolutely, insisted Dannon in court papers filed this week urging the judge to dismiss the “daisy-chained” logic of a false...
When the Arctic Apple hits select store shelves this month as one of the first products genetically modified for consumers’ benefit, it will serve as a line in the sand for the tug of war between the non-GMO movement and the future of food innovation.
Demographics don't provide easy answers to GMO debate, says Pew Research Center
Think anti-GMO sentiment is primarily the preserve of white college educated liberals? Think again, says Pew Research Center, which has just conducted a consumer survey suggesting that attitudes on GMOs, organics, and other food issues are “conspicuously...
Has the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims on food labels put a stop to the tidal wave of false advertising lawsuits engulfing food manufacturers? Not if a new complaint against Dannon is anything to go by, which also delves into the thorny issue of GMOs,...
Taiyo’s Non-GMO certification for its Matcha Powder is a sign of the growing influence of this attribute, even for ingredient categories that have never been subject to genetic modification.
Cargill has joined a flurry of suppliers making non-GMO announcements at the Supply Side West trade show this year, gaining Non-GMO Project verification for erythritol, cane sugar, and high oleic sunflower oil.
New NGS DNA testing methods will replace PCR, predicts Clear Labs
As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology" coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods...
It’s a bold move given how highly-charged – and extremely polarized - the debate has become, but Los Angeles-based start-up Soylent has weighed into the conversation over genetically engineered food crops with a blog post entitled: 'Soylent: Proudly...
Attempts to reach a federal GMO labeling solution have failed miserably to date. However, a bipartisan deal requiring mandatory GMO labeling (via smartlabels, symbols or as yet undetermined wording) thrashed out in the Senate on Thursday looks like it...
The controversy surrounding genetic engineering may feel deafening at times with each side prolifically and loudly debating its pros and cons, but the vast majority of consumers remain unfamiliar GMOs and unclear if they pose a risk, according to a recent...
US Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack called on Congress to pass mandatory, national GMO labeling to eliminate the risk that consumer confusion triggered by inconsistent labels could destabilize and stymie growth in an otherwise expanding industry.
Dannon says it will begin to use non-GMO ingredients in some of its products within three 3 flagship brands - Dannon, Oikos and Danimals - beginning summer 2016 (when Vermont's new GMO labeling law comes into effect), but has also pledged to transition...
Just two days after a Florida judge allowed a false advertising case vs Chipotle to proceed over its non-GMO claims, a copycat case has been filed in California, providing further evidence – say attorneys – of the legal minefield marketers are walking...
CFSAF: 'Gen Mills was forced to make decision because of Senate’s failure to act'
It was prompted by pragmatism, rather than an ideological shift, but General Mills and Mars have resolved to roll out GMO labeling nationwide as Congress has proved unable to hammer out a federal solution that all stakeholders can get behind before new...
There will be two companies authorized to verify GMO-free claims in Vermont. Some experts worry about application backlog to meet the July 1 deadline, while others say it’s a step in the right direction.
Growing consumer concern about food waste and the environmental impact of food production could be a “conversation starter” for food manufacturers to shift consumers’ focus on genetically modified organisms away from the perceived negative impact to the...
The term “natural” is an extremely effective marketing claim that taps into one of the hottest current trends in food and beverage, but because it is not defined, it leaves consumers confused and companies vulnerable to false claims allegations.
Demand for GMO certification services has been growing faster than supply, and NSF has responded to that demand with its new True North certification program, said the scheme’s director.
While supporters of Rep. Mike Pompeo’s Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (HR1599) welcome its proposal to create a national standard for non-GMO claims, the Non-GMO Project says this would confuse shoppers by creating a competing label underpinned by...
A federal judge in Florida has approved a $3.99m deal to resolve a proposed class action accusing Kashi of misleading shoppers by labeling products made with GMOs as ‘all-natural’.
There are two bills about GMO labeling floating around Congress, but the momentum appears behind the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. Here are eight things to know about the Act.
Canadian supplier Dealers Ingredients plans to debut its Profi one-stop solution for vegetarian protein and fiber fortification at the upcoming Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) trade show in Chicago.
New developments in three high-profile false advertising lawsuits underline the risks associated with making ‘all-natural’ claims on foods made with genetically engineered ingredients, with Kashi and Karlin Foods agreeing to sizeable settlements, and...
Pressure on food manufacturers to label genetically modified food and provide non-GMO alternatives is mounting as consumer concern and confusion about the technology increases in response to a deluge of negative messaging about it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Process Verification Program could provide an avenue for firms to certify the veracity of non-GMO claims without indirectly suggesting that genetic engineering is undesirable or unsafe.
Consumers’ concern about genetically modified food is on the rise, but most shoppers are not yet willing to pay a premium for non-GMO foods – making it difficult for manufacturers to evaluate the business case for going non-GMO, according to research...
Chipotle Mexican Grill has “achieved its goal of moving to only non-GMO ingredients to make all of the food in its US restaurants”, and is now embarking on a quest to eliminate additives such as dough conditioners from its foods.
The organic industry must overcome substantial hurdles to sustain its double digit sales growth, including the threat posed by genetically modified organisms, limited technological advancements and a dwindling farming population, said organic farmer and...
Four out of 10 consumers claim to be avoiding or reducing genetically modified foods in their daily diets, mainly because they are concerned about the possible impact of GMOs on their health and well-being, according to The Hartman Group’s Organic &...
The use of certain biotechnologies could support organic production in the future – although the currently approved ‘cross-species’ GM technologies are the biggest threat to the organic food system, says Christopher Stopes.
Congress needs to strengthen FDA’s oversight of genetically modified organisms before foreign countries, with potentially lower safety standards, begin genetically engineering crops used in finished products that are imported to the U.S., argues an executive...
Consumer confusion about organic verses non-GMO claims abounds, and the Natural Product Association wants to set the record straight with a new lobbying effort.
As more consumers avoid genetically modified organisms, manufacturers that fail to label whether their products contain GMOs are at an increased risk of losing consumer trust and relevance, according to The Hartman Group.
Mandatory GMO labels will be seen as 'warning labels', warns GMA
Supporters and opponents of GMO labeling will square up in a courtroom in Burlington, Vermont, today (Jan 7) to present oral arguments over the merits of Act 120, which will require mandatory labeling of foods produced with genetic engineering.
All the rhetoric for and against genetically modified organisms voiced leading up to November when several states voted on GMO labeling initiatives can make it difficult to understand exactly what genetic engineering is, let alone the benefits and downsides.
A federal labeling standard for genetically modified foods applied nationwide is better for industry and consumers than a patchwork of state regulations, advocates for and against mandatory GMO labeling agreed Dec. 10 at a House subcommittee on Health...
Genetically engineered crops are not a magic bullet and some weeds have become resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp) used with selected GM crops, said Monsanto’s chief technology officer Dr Robert Fraley in a debate on Wednesday. But that doesn’t...
UPDATED - Initial returns indicate that voters in Colorado have given a firm thumbs down to GMO labeling initiative Proposition 105, while the vote in Oregon on Measure 92 headed to a nail-biting finish - but ended with voters saying NO.
The cost to consumers of requiring labeling of genetically modified food is $2.30 per person annually, or less than a penny a day, says new analysis commissioned by Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports.
B&G Foods is the latest firm to be hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of misleading shoppers by labeling products containing ingredients that are “highly processed” or/and derived from genetically engineered crops as ‘all-natural’.
A proposition seeking to label genetically modified foods will be on the November ballot in Colorado after supporters of the Right to Know Colorado initiative submitted nearly 125,000 valid signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State.
Vermont AG: 'Natural' labels do not belong on foods made with GMOs
Vermont’s new GMO labeling law (Act 120) does not violate the First Amendment because the disclosures it mandates are “purely factual” and the law “does not require manufacturers to state a particular viewpoint, such as whether GE foods are good or bad”,...
