2018-05-24 | permalink

GMO Food Labels Are Coming But The Word Will Be ‘Bioengineered’

By 2020, many foods produced with genetic engineering will have to say so on their labels. Earlier this month, the USDA announced their proposal for the rules and accompanying logos, which cleverly sidestep the GMO labeling controversy by not using the letters G-M-O at all.
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“BE” stands for bioengineered, a term that has been occasionally applied to genetically engineered foods but that was basically unknown to most of us. Dictionaries mostly define the word bioengineering as having something to do with medicine, although Google has caught on and now directs searches for “bioengineered food” toward Wikipedia’s page on genetically engineered food.

The proposed logos go a step further and make bioengineering look appealing. One of the proposed logos is green and leafy, the universal symbol for eco-friendly stuff you should pay extra for. The others hint at smiley faces. Paired with the word bioengineering, you get the impression this is some ecologically conscious European sort of thing. (And in fact, some comments point out that it could be confused with the European version of the organic label.)

• vitals.lifehacker.com: GMO Food Labels Are Coming But The Word Will Be ‘Bioengineered’