US contemplates certifying GM-free crops

By: Katie Mantell

We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines:

You have to credit our authors.
You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article.
You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
If you want to also take images published in this story you will need to confirm with the original source if you're licensed to use them.
The easiest way to get the article on your site is to embed the code below.

For more information view our media page and republishing guidelines.

The full article is available here as HTML.

Press Ctrl-C to copy

<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>US contemplates certifying GM-free crops</h1>
<h4>By: Katie Mantell</h4>
</div>
<br />
<br />

<div id="article-body">
<p>The United States, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified food, has announced that it may create a voluntary system for classifying crops as free of genetic modification.<BR><BR>The move — which comes in response to demand from some consumer groups for ‘GM-free’ food — follows the refusal of some African nations to accept donations of US maize. African leaders argued that such food aid contains GM seeds that, if planted, could contaminate native crops (see <a href="/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=196&language=1" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Famine-stricken countries reject GM maize</A>).<BR><BR>The planned initiative would be a voluntary, federal programme to ensure that conventional grains, oilseeds and rice produced in the United States are not inadvertently exposed to GM crops. <BR><BR>Companies would be asked to specify how they keep their products separate from GM crops at all stages of food production — from harvesting to storage to processing. Additionally, federal inspectors would assess a company’s system and verify that minimum standards for crop production, handling and processing are met.<BR><BR>In a Federal Register notice this week, the US Department of Agriculture said it would formally propose the new system within the next few months.<BR><BR><a href="http://www.usda.gov/gipsa/rulemaking/current/080602.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to the Federal Register notice</A><BR><BR>© SciDev.Net 2002</p>

</div>
<div class="quick-links-wrapper">
<h3>You might also like</h3>
[related-articles]
</div>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/news/us-contemplates-certifying-gmfree-crops/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(e,t,n,r,i,s,o){e["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=i;e[i]=e[i]||function(){(e[i].q=e[i].q||[]).push(arguments)},e[i].l=1*new Date;s=t.createElement(n),o=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];s.async=1;s.src=r;o.parentNode.insertBefore(s,o)})(window,document,"script","//www.google-analytics.com/ga.js","ga");var _gaq=_gaq||[];var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(["_setAccount","UA-3223906-8"],["_trackEvent","article interaction","republished","https://www.scidev.net/global/news/us-contemplates-certifying-gmfree-crops/",null,true])
</script>
</div>

The United States, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified food, has announced that it may create a voluntary system for classifying crops as free of genetic modification.

The move — which comes in response to demand from some consumer groups for ‘GM-free’ food — follows the refusal of some African nations to accept donations of US maize. African leaders argued that such food aid contains GM seeds that, if planted, could contaminate native crops (see Famine-stricken countries reject GM maize).

The planned initiative would be a voluntary, federal programme to ensure that conventional grains, oilseeds and rice produced in the United States are not inadvertently exposed to GM crops.

Companies would be asked to specify how they keep their products separate from GM crops at all stages of food production — from harvesting to storage to processing. Additionally, federal inspectors would assess a company’s system and verify that minimum standards for crop production, handling and processing are met.

In a Federal Register notice this week, the US Department of Agriculture said it would formally propose the new system within the next few months.

Link to the Federal Register notice

© SciDev.Net 2002