In 10 years and 579 posts we’ve covered so many things approved by TTB. Today, and in the near future, we will mix it up and try to cover “basic” things not approved by TTB.
First up, the Non-GMO butterfly seal, as above. LabelVision shows precisely zero label approvals, with this seal. This is the sort of thing LabelVision would pick up right away, because it’s great and essential software. I am thinking about this, this morning, due to a provocative article in today’s Wall Street Journal. As to the butterfly seal flying all around just about any food store you may enter:
The “Non-GMO Project” butterfly label emblazons more than 55,000 organic and nonorganic products on supermarket shelves today—many of which have no GMO counterpart or couldn’t possibly contain GMOs. The clear purpose of these labels, as one peer-reviewed academic study found, is to “stigmatize food produced with conventional processes even when there is no scientific evidence that they cause harm, or even that it is compositionally any different.” The labels and anti-genetic-engineering propaganda are effective. Another recent study found nearly half of consumers avoid GMO-labeled foods.
The article weirdly calls for a lot more and stricter regulation, coming from the free market side of the debate. The article is by Dr. Henry I. Miller, a physician, molecular biologist, Stanford fellow, and former FDA official. The article wraps up, saying: “Giving the organic industry and others a pass to engage in such active deception undermines consumers’ choice, erodes trust in the market, and rigs the game. Consumers need aggressive FDA action to curb these abuses and level the playing field.” For all the scorn he is heaping upon FDA, perhaps he should give some credit to TTB, for banishing the butterfly, so far.
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