FDA should maintain its policy. Food manufacturers and consumers need to be informed if there has been a significant change in the product so that the common and usual name no longer applies. This has already been implemented in the case of foods from biotechnology derived plants with improved nutritional or health benefits, which are, by definition, not compositionally equivalent to traditional foods. In both cases, FDA confirmed the safety of these food ingredients and appropriately required labeling to communicate a new name for these ingredients to inform consumers and food companies that these ingredients were not compositionally equivalent to their conventional counterparts. These policies have served the public very well.
Labels provide a consumer's first impression of most packaged food products.
Labels list ingredients, describe features, give instructions, explain benefits and deliver advisories and warnings. Information considered essential to health and safety is mandated by law to appear on the label. In addition to the mandatory labeling discussed above, FDA permits voluntary labeling, as long as the label is truthful and not misleading, to provide additional information to those consumers who desire more information. The safety of all the food products derived from biotechnology enhanced plants have been assessed by the FDA during their consultation process. These foods have been shown to be as safe as foods derived from conventional plant varieties.