A federal court has ruled that putting a QR code on a label is not an adequate means to inform consumers that the food has been bioengineered.
The Center for Food Safety and other advocacy groups filed suit in 2020 to challenge the USDA’s National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. A federal court in San Francisco ruled Sept. 14 that a QR code by itself does not provide adequate information to consumers, and ordered the USDA to revise that portion of the regulations.
The ruling upheld other aspects of the USDA’s regulations. It held that “bioengineered” or “bioengineering” were acceptable substitutes for “genetically modified,” and that “highly refined” ingredients need not be disclosed.