Vegetable oil labels must avoid touting non-GM status

Edible vegetable oils should not be labeled as free of genetically modified ingredients if GM versions don't exist, the State Administration for Market Regulation ordered on Wednesday.

The order aims to regulate the labeling of edible oil and put a stop to misleading labels, the administration said.

Luo Yunbo, a professor of food sciences at China Agricultural University, said the measure is aimed at curtailing misleading practices of some edible oil makers who promote their products by using labels proclaiming that the oil is not genetically modified.