I really like that headline.
There’s so much in the headline, I’m nervous about how to start a conversation that can cover so much.
Right away I want to say there’s a need for trust. Trust in what we’re reading is somehow helpful or educational, or maybe even interesting . . .
Every packaged food product that’s sold has to follow some guidelines. I write “some” while there are a huge number of guidelines. There are so many guidelines that we get bogged down in how these guidelines are to be followed and in what instances the guidelines are required.
Last month’s 27th Annual Federal Food Regulatory Conference in Washington, D.C. reminds us that the US is behind the curve on providing informative food labels.
Companies like Prime Label Consultants and Chobani give pre-conference seminars on USDA labeling basics and a proposed “new” Nutrition Facts Panel, respectively. Preparatory tactics for the new NFP, beginner and advanced EZ form software, generics versus standardized, descriptive, and fanciful product naming are just a few of the many topics covered.
The actual conference will have close to twenty “breakout workgroup topics” ranging from Flavor labeling to allergen labeling as well as USDA and FDA market trends. One of the topics is GMO labeling, and I’m sure that’s covered as more of an anti-label process. Unwillingness to label GMOs in the US is the current trend.
On the other side of this current trend, and trend probably isn’t the right word here, companies like Chipotle recently announced it won’t prepare foods containing GMOs. Although I’m not a fan of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, its business model allows them to disclose, and take pride in, their fair-trade and non-GMO ingredients. These two companies aren’t necessarily following any trends, they are simply more transparent about the ingredients they are willing to use in producing their products. They seem to believe there is some benefit to the consumer when they are transparent.
Could we let our representatives know that HR1599 looks like a “no” and HR913 is a go. Last week 300 companies did — see the food and water watch letter on this link.
With all the good things the 27th Annual conference was able to accomplish, it’s nice that so soon after the conference was held a letter to our representatives was formulated and presented.
The food and water watch letter shows us the right to know is important. It lets us know when a representative of Kansas, a large wheat producing state, introduces a bill, HR1599, which suggests legislation for a better label which doesn’t allow disclosure of whether wheat grown there, or anywhere, is GMO.
With the upward surge in US’s citizens developing autoimmune diseases, the necessity of a more credible, transparent, labeling of packaged foods is needed now more than ever before in the US’s history of packaged and GE’d foods.
Sites like justlabelit.org are helpful; however, more awareness is needed. More awareness of how “right to know” labels are being developed and structured, and ultimately intertwined with what is and is not labeled, are needed.
If you have concerns, comments, or suggestions on labeling GMOs and autoimmune disease, please let me know via email to celiac@onecause.org.