Policy Statements

Board adopted original policy on October 16, 1999 
Board ratified an updated version on October 21, 2014
Board adopted revised edition January 11, 2014 
Board ratified an updated version January 26, 2019
Download PDF Version of FMI Board Policy Regarding Bioengineering and Food Derived from Bioengineered Ingredients

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) members serve consumers across the United States and recognize their customers’ interest in gathering information regarding the products that they wish to purchase, including foods produced utilizing bioengineering (BE) and/or derived from bioengineered ingredients.

Congress passed a law in 2016 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a rule in 2018 to implement the law creating one workable national standard for disclosing information about BE products that retailers must follow. Retailers will incorporate the provisions of the final rule into developing information disclosure programs, such as Smart Label, making it easy for customers to understand and utilize.

With regard to BE foods and products produced with BE ingredients, FMI believes:

• Consumers should have access to consistent, accurate and relevant information about the food products they buy, utilizing the disclosure standards for BE products under the purview of the USDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent a confusing and inefficient state-by-state patchwork system.
• The BE disclosure program should focus on providing consumers the information they need to easily identify products containing bioengineered ingredients in accordance with the USDA final rule.
• Implementation of the bioengineering law must preserve flexibility for food companies to provide information used or requested by customers in a variety of ways, including: on package; a USDA symbol; digital or text disclosure; utilizing customer call centers; and new and emerging technologies.