USDA Final GMO Label Rule: Are You Ready to Comply?

Description

Overview

GMO labeling has been a hot topic for more than a decade now and scientific research has generated more questions rather than providing answers on the safety of such bioengineered products.

On July 2016, the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law was signed into law after extensive review and industry inputs. The Final Rules affects a wide variety of foods even those that we don’t commonly associate with GMO ingredients, including beer, dairy products and breakfast cereals. 

Companies must disclose bioengineered ingredients and can use the USDA “Bioengineered”, “Derived from Bioengineering” symbols, or from text printed that includes “bioengineered food” or “contains bioengineered food ingredients.” The new rules are designed to provide consumers with clear information and consistently labeled products.

Effective February 2019, food manufacturers, retailers and importers were to begin disclosing the presence of foods made from or containing GMO ingredients – if the bioengineered percent exceeds 5 percent. Mandatory labeling begins from January 1, 2022. Understanding how the GMO Label Rules apply to your products is critical in order to avoid recalls in the future.

This webinar by food safety expert, Dr. John M. Ryan, Ph.D., PCQI, will provide you and your staff with disclosure methods, implementation deadlines, labeling details and other steps in detail to comply with the USDA Final GMO Label Rules. You will also learn about the printed text, scanning information, web address and the text messaging designed to be sent directly to consumer mobile devices that disclose product GMO information.

Session Highlights

• Understanding the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law
• The rules
• Rule definitions
• Basic rule requirements
• Implementation and compliance (voluntary and mandatory)
• Determining your company’s requirements and plan
• Compliance with mandatory deadlines based on company size
• Planning for immediate label change implementation
• What are your labeling options?
• Understanding the exemptions
• Detectability issues
• Recordkeeping requirements
• Analytical testing and validation
• Responsibility for and type of disclosures
• Placement of disclosure
• Use of your company URL
• Small and very small packaging
• Bulk containers

Who Will Benefit:

• Food retail and restaurant operations
• CEOs, VP and director level personnel in food companies impacted by the rules
• Food safety and quality team members
• Quality system personnel
• Labeling and packaging personnel
• Operations and compliance personnel
• Document management personnel
• Data management and analysis personnel
• Recall team members