{"id":7440,"date":"2026-04-03T16:15:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/?p=7440"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:52:21","slug":"toxin-free-usa-campaigns-to-prevent-products-of-genetic-engineering-from-being-labeled-natural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/toxin-free-usa-campaigns-to-prevent-products-of-genetic-engineering-from-being-labeled-natural\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxin Free USA Campaigns to Prevent Products of Genetic Engineering From Being Labeled \u201cNatural\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GMO_SynBio_Food_Dyes_Beetroot_Red_Phytolon.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>New Fairfield, CT, April 3, 2026 \u2014\u00a0 Public interest nonprofit GMO\/Toxin Free USA (TFUSA) succeeded in delaying a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to allow a novel, synthetic food dye produced by Phytolon Ltd. to enter the U.S. food supply and be labeled as \u201cnatural.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This marks a rare and significant moment of accountability, where a federal agency paused a corporate-benefiting decision due to public interest advocacy. It represents a powerful step toward our vision of full food transparency, stronger safety standards, and a system that prioritizes people and the environment over industry convenience.<br><br>Phytolon\u2019s synthetic food color, Beetroot Red, is produced through a genetic engineering technique called Synthetic Biology, or SynBio, and often referred to as \u201cprecision fermentation,\u201d or misleadingly as only \u201cfermentation.\u201d<br><br>On February 6, 2026, the FDA issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/FDA-2024-C-1085-0003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Final Order<\/a> for Phytolon\u2019s color additive petition to allow the synthetic food dye to enter the food market by \u201camending the color additive regulations to provide for the safe use of beetroot red for the coloring of human foods generally.\u201d The order would have gone into effect March 23, 2026.<br><br>TFUSA submitted a document of objection during the FDA\u2019s public comment period ending March 9, 2026. The full submission can be read <a href=\"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/is-beetroot-red-food-dye-a-bait-and-switch\/\">HERE<\/a>.<br><br>TFUSA\u2019s primary objections to Phytolon\u2019s Beetroot Red are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Beetroot Red is a product of SynBio, an extreme form of genetic engineering that starts in a lab and finishes in industrial vats, and should not be allowed to be labeled \u201cnatural.\u201d Further, no products made with SynBio food dyes should be allowed to claim \u201cno artificial colors.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phytolon failed to provide adequate proof of safety of synthetic Beetroot Red for long-term human consumption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Potential contamination by novel proteins or byproducts of the genetic engineering process could present a food safety risk and have not been addressed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phytolon failed to respond to FDA\u2019s feedback and required followup testing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The FDA responded to TFUSA\u2019s objection by issuing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/FDA-2024-C-1085-0214\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement on March 24<\/a>: \u201cAs of March 20, 2026, the effective date of the final order published February 6, 2026 (91 FR 5295) is delayed indefinitely. The FDA will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing a new effective date or other administrative action on the order.\u201d The FDA added: \u201cWe received a submission from GMO\/Toxin Free USA containing objections that meet the conditions set forth in 21 CFR 12.22 to initiate a stay of the effective date of the final order.\u201d<br><br>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodnavigator-usa.com\/Article\/2026\/03\/31\/fda-pauses-beetroot-red-and-spirulina-color-approvals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement to Food Navigator USA<\/a>, Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at Consumer Reports, agreed that the production process of genetic engineering could leave contaminants in the product and present a food safety risk. \u201cYou can often find in the final product, 15, 20, 30, 40 different proteins, or other things in there. So, you should be identifying whether any of those raise safety concerns.\u201d<br><br>Dr. Hansen added, \u201cThey should absolutely let consumers know that is a genetically engineered color or genetically modified. They should not be able to call that \u2018not artificial\u2019 or \u2018natural.\u2019 We have done enough surveys to show that people do not consider engineered things to be natural.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FDA also stated, \u201cOur announcement of the delay of the effective date of the final order does not reflect a change in our determination that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm from the use of this color additive under the proposed conditions of its intended use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diana Reeves, Executive Director of TFUSA, said, \u201cWe need to wait for the FDA\u2019s follow-up determination on Beetroot Red. But if the FDA later decides to approve the synthetic dye despite the safety issues, the agency must not allow SynBio food additives to be labeled \u2018natural,\u2019 or \u2018no artificial colors.\u2019 In fact, this is a product of genetic engineering and should require a GMO or bioengineered label. This administration campaigned on bringing transparency to our food system. The administration is also currently campaigning on eating \u2018real food.\u2019 Swapping synthetic petroleum-based dyes for synthetic genetically engineered dyes and allowing the industry to call the products \u2018natural\u2019 would be a betrayal of the promises made by the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe food industry should take careful note: Attempts to pull the wool over America\u2019s eyes, calling SynBio products \u2018natural\u2019 or \u2018non-GMO,\u2019 will not go over well for your brands in the long run,\u201d added Reeves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TFUSA will continue to campaign on this issue, educating the public about newer forms of genetic engineering such as SynBio and gene-editing, and galvanize public rejection of genetically engineered foods that have not been independently safety tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>###<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GMO\/Toxin Free USA<\/strong> is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocating for a clean, healthy food system and environment, non-toxic consumer products, and educating consumers about the hazards of GMOs, pesticides and other toxins. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toxinfreeusa.org\">toxinfreeusa.org<br><br><\/a>Press inquiries contact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luan Van Le, GMO\/Toxin Free USA<br>Phone: 347.921.1466<br>Email: <a href=\"mailto:info@gmofreeusa.org\">info@gmofreeusa.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Fairfield, CT, April 3, 2026 \u2014\u00a0 Public interest nonprofit GMO\/Toxin Free USA (TFUSA) succeeded in delaying a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to allow a novel, synthetic food dye produced by Phytolon Ltd. to enter the U.S. food supply and be labeled as \u201cnatural.\u201d This marks a rare and significant moment of &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post","6":"category-press-releases","7":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7440"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7455,"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7440\/revisions\/7455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}