Now that a law requiring food companies to make GMO ingredient disclosures on packaging has been signed, debate over what those labels should look like continues.
The law allows for options – including on-label packaging or the use of QR codes, or digital pictures that can be read on a smartphone, which will direct a consumer to information about that food product. Roger Lowe with the Grocery Manufacturers Association says they are in favor of the QR codes because those direct a consumer to more information than can fit on a food label.
“Some consumers will want to know about genetically engineered ingredients. Others won’t care about that but they’ll want to know how the food was raised. Where the fish was caught, how the meat was raised. And the idea is that you can’t fit all of that on a label.” says Lowe.
Zen Honeycutt, the Founder of Mom’s Across America, opposes the use of QR codes saying they discriminate against people who lack financial resources.
“Because many senior citizens, and African Americans and Hispanics don’t have smart phones or won’t use their pay as you go phones to call a phone number or scan a code to find out if it is GMO or not.” says Honeycutt.
Lowe did say if the industry moves towards QR codes for food labels, grocery stores might place QR code scanners in their stores for customers to use.
The USDA has two years to establish definitions and procedures about what will be included on the labels before companies have to comply.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com