The US food sector is lobbying regulatory agencies to set up non-GM labelling guidelines. The Grocery Manufacturers of America, the US Frozen Food Institute and other industry bodies are asking the Food and Drug Administration to "keep the marketplace open and honest" when it comes to informing consumers about the use of genetically modified ingredients in food products. GMA president and ceo Manly Molpus said: "We want to ensure any claims made about modern biotechnology in food labels and in advertising are truthful and not misleading." He said it was important to meet consumers' need for choice and manufacturers' need to meet them. "Any guidelines should make it clear that, just as with claims made for conventional foods, information given to consumers about the use of food biotechnology ­ or the lack of it ­ should be non-deceptive and appropriately substantiated," he said. Declaring identity preserved routes for non-GM ingredients and ensuring full traceability was necessary, he said, if labelling was to be reliable and meaningful ­ nor would it require expansion of current US laws on food claims. {{NEWS }}