The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun a program of voluntary verification for non-genetically modified and engineered foods. Food manufacturers would have to pay the USDA to undergo voluntary certification – the first program of its kind – that would allow them to carry a label showing that they are “USDA process verified”. The US government has previously refused to consider mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods, as it considered foods that contain genetically modified or engineered ingredients to be safe. The move was revealed in a letter to USDA employees writte...