A Washington, D.C. think tank is asking the FDA to forbid food marketers from using the phrase “Non-GMO” on labeling.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, which bills itself as an advocate for “policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity,” is taking aim at the Non-GMO Project, whose logo is available to food marketers who pay a fee and submit their products for testing. In a petition to the FDA, the ITIF complains that the Non-GMO Project’s “assertion of negative health consequences from mere exposure [to genetically modified organisms], much less consumption, is not supported by data or experience.”
The ITIF takes particular issue with the Non-GMO Project’s butterfly logo: “Through its butterfly logo label and associated marketing materials, the Non-GMO Project makes claims about food that are misleading and inaccurate, resulting in misbranding.”
In response the Non-GMO Project issued a statement calling the ITIF “biotech-backed” and saying its petition is “based on errors and misrepresentations.”
The FDA is scheduled to finalize rules on identifying and marketing GMOs later this year.
