WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting public input on GMO labeling. The agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) posted 30 proposed rule questions under consideration for the public to submit comments. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard was enacted on July 29, 2016, giving the AMS two years to establish a national standard along with the procedures for implementation.

The USDA will use input in drafting the final proposed rule governing how food manufacturers disclose when products contain genetically engineered ingredients. Questions include:

• What terms should be interchangeable with “bioengineering”?
• Will AMS require disclosure for food that contains highly refined products, such as oils or sugars derived from bioengineered crops?
• Could AMS consider whether a type of food is considered a bioengineered food under the determination process?
• What are the reasonable disclosure options AMS should provide for food contained in very small or small packages?
• How should AMS define very small food manufacturers to exclude these manufacturers from the requirements of the regulation?

The USDA is preparing for a late-fall or early-winter release of the rule, Andrea Huberty, senior analyst at the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Livestock, Poultry and Seed program, said earlier this month.