Genetically Modified Food or GMO is rebranding to Bioengineered Food.
They are the same products but different label. Rebranding of GMO foods may be an attempt to recover the market given that over 40% consumers are avoiding or intentionally reducing GMO in their diet says the Hartman Group (2014). USDA defines bioengineered foods “as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.” In addition, the terms “Bioengineering”, “Genetically Modified Organism”, “GMO”, “Genetic Engineering” are used interchangeably for marketing purposes, but for disclosure purposes the standard term is “Bioengineering”.
Consuming GMO foods have been found to come at a risk. Among these are increase toxicity, allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance, immunity suppression and cancer.
Starting on January 1, 2022, regulated entities may voluntarily comply to labeling their products with Bioengineered or Derived from Bioengineered. However, small food manufacturers, food served in restaurants, among others, are not required to bear the food labels even if the product has been bioengineered. Below is the USDA Marketing Service list of Bioengineered foods:
- Alfalfa
- Apple (Arctic variety)
- Canola
- Corn
- Cotton
- Eggplant (BARI BT Begun varieties)
- Papaya (ringspot virus-resistant varieties)
- Pineapple (pink flesh varieties)
- Potato
- Salmon (AquAdvantage)
- Soybean
- Squash (Summer)
- Sugarbeet
