USDA approves Non-GMO label for meat and liquid egg products

 (Organic Slant) The USDA has approved a label for meat and liquid egg products that includes a claim about the absence of genetically engineered products.

It is the first time that the department, which regulates meat and poultry processing, has approved a non-G.M.O. label claim, which attests that meat certified by the Non-GMO Project came from animals that never ate feed containing genetically engineered ingredients like corn, soy and alfalfa.

The Non-GMO Project Verified label recently cleared a regulatory hurdle for labeling meat and liquid egg products. This is the first time that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a branch of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) that regulates such products, has approved a non-GMO label claim.

Meat and eggs cannot be tested themselves for GMOs – that’s why they test the animal feed.

The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service “allows companies to demonstrate on their labels that they meet a third-party certifying organization’s standards, provided that the third-party organization and the company can show that the claims are truthful, accurate and not misleading,” an agency spokeswoman said in a statement.

That however, doesn’t mean that the government is working on “any new policy regarding non-G.E. or non-G.M.O. products.”

The approval provides a measure of confidence to companies that currently offer Non-GMO Project Verified meat or liquid eggs.

The updated version of the verification mark is available for any product that contains meat or liquid eggs. For more information, please contact the Project’s Product Verification Program team at 877-358-9420 x102.