A federal court has ruled that a QR code alone is not an adequate GMO disclosure, and will need to be accompanied by a disclosure option accessible to all Americans. This is an important victory but hardly changes the reality that the law undermines rather than supports a consumer’s right to know the contents of their food. There is still the organic seal and the non-GMO label, which currently signify a food does not contain GMOs. But that could change. There are efforts to allow gene-editing to be allowed in organic production. We’re already moving in that direction: gene-edited foods are already excluded from the GMO labeling law, so regulators have drawn a clear line distinguishing genetic engineering and gene editing. Given the propensity of the USDA’s organic program to cater to corporate interests, the outlook isn’t good.
Write to the USDA and urge them NOT to allow gene-editing in organic production.