Bioengineered Food Ingredients in Yogurt

In # 6: GMO vs Bioengineered Labeling by Bekki

A food product I found that contains a GMO ingredient is Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt. I believe that the label serves its purpose. It says that it contains “Bioengineered Food Ingredients” in bold print on the back of the label of the entire package and on the individual yogurt cups.

Even though this label serves its purpose, consumers may not be aware of the presence of bioengineered food ingredients or think to check the back of the package. I also don’t see a seal on the package that denotes it contains genetically modified organisms. Consumers may not make the connection between genetically modified ingredients and bioengineered food ingredients. I think that the term “GMO” has a very negative connotation, while the term “bioengineered food ingredients” sounds much more positive and less harmful.

I believe that the USDA should require consistent terminology and a seal on food products that contain GMOs. This way, consumers would be more aware of what foods contain genetically modified organisms. If the end goal was to make the consumers more aware of how the food was made, I think a seal on the front of the package would be most effective.