For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Genetic Engineering page, Millions Against Monsanto page and our Myth of Natural page.

Who will ultimatly decide whether products made with genetically engineered ingredients should be promoted as ‘natural’? The courts? Or the FDA?

Pressure has been mounting on the FDA to tackle this issue in recent weeks after judges handeling two high profile class action lawsuits vs Gruma Corp and General Mills over natural claims and GMOs put them on ice to give the agency the tme to clarify things once and for all.

However, an order filed on Aug 23 by a federal judge in California in a similar case vs JM Smucker over Crisco oils has thrown the whole issues up in the air again, say lawyers contacted by FoodNavigator-USA

Parties have repeatedly asked the FDA to rule on ‘natural’ labeling, and the FDA has declined to do so

U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti denied Smucker’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by plaintiff Diane Parker alleging the firm mislabels Crisco Oils as ‘all natural’ because they are made with GM crops, and are
“so heavily processed that they bear no chemical resemblance to the ingredients from which they were derived”.