A controversial GMO labeling bill. . . has raised interesting scientific and regulatory questions: Do foods processed from [GMOs], like refined sugar and soybean oil, contain genetic material? If not, would they be labeled as GMOs?
The law . . . states that foods must “contain genetic material that has been modified” in order to be labeled.
The [FDA] and some opponents of the law have claimed many refined foods would . . . not be subject to labeling because . . . the genetic material has been removed through processing. . . this isn’t completely true.
The [USDA] and proponents of the legislation. . . have claimed the USDA does have authority to label highly refined oils, sugars and high fructose corn syrup produced from GMOs.
. . . .
. . . . [S]cientists have detected modified genetic material in some processed foods . . . Whether or not processed foods contain detectable genetic material depends on the . . . processing and detection methods used.
. . . .
. . . [W]e can’t comment on whether. . . certain processed foods will ultimately be exempted by the USDA from requiring a GMO label. . . . Refined sugar doesn’t contain DNA based on current detection methods, but soybean oil, soy lecithin and corn starch do. The genetic contents of high fructose corn syrup remain unclear.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Do Processed Foods Contain GMOs?
