アシスタントの青木から、「米国の加工食品製造業者団体（GMA）が、新しい食品表示法を導入します」という知らせを受けた。GMAのニュースリリース（12月2日）の全文を紹介する。この手法は、”スマートラベル”（SmartLabel）と呼ばれている。
＜解説＞
「スマートラベル」とは、店頭（バーコード）やネット経由（デジタル情報）で、加工食品の原材料成分（ingredients）や製造業者を特定できるデジタルシステムのことである。SmartLabelについて、詳しくは、協会のHPを参照のこと（
SmartLabelは、アメリカの加工食品メーカー協会（GMA:Grocery Manufacturers Association）が始めたもので、一部は今年末（2015年12月）から試験的に稼働を始める。本格的にシステムが稼働するのは、2016年に入ってからのようである。そして、2017年末までに、米国の消費者は、全米の加工食品3万点に含まれている原材料などの製品成分情報にアクセスできるようになる。
同協会（GMA）のリリース記事（2015年12月2日）によると、このシステムへの参加企業は、全米の大手加工食品メーカーをほぼ網羅している。リストに上がっているのは、キャンベル、ペプシコ、コカ・コーラ、ネスレ、ハーシーズ（チョコレート）、ケロッグ、スマッカーズ、ゼネラルミルズなど。そうした菓子やドリンクのメーカーだけでなく、コルゲートやユニリーバ、P&Gなどのトイレタリー・化粧品メーカー、タイソンフーズなどの食肉加工メーカーも含まれている。
青木によると、バーコードに乗る情報は、これまで（11月頃まで）の発表では、栄養情報（nutritional information）、成分情報（ingredients）、アレルギー成分（allergens）などであった。 また、食品成分以外には、第三者認証（third-party certifications）、CSRのような社会的プログラムへの参加（social compliance programs）、使用方法や安全マニュアル（usage instructions, advisories & safe handling instructions）、企業・ブランド情報を含む製品情報（company/brand information, along with other pertinent information about the product）だった。
ところが、今回（12月2日）のプレスリリースでは、GMO（遺伝子組み換え）の項目が追加されることになった。これは、GMAと農業関連企業（生産者や加工業者）が、 GMOに関する表示について、これまでのバラバラなやり方を統一しようとする動き（表示基準の統一）に向かっていることの証左であると考えられる。
GMAanufacturers Associationは、世界最大の食品業界団体である。これまでは、遺伝子組み換えの表示に関しては、州レベルでも連邦レベルでも反対を表明してきた。ここにきて、GMOを表示に含めるという発表は、米国内で世論が微妙に非GMOの方向に向かっていることの表れではないかと考える。「GMO表示の州レベルでの法制化を妨げる法案の審議が、米国で山場を迎えているようです」（青木のメールから）。
＜日本への影響＞
日本の加工食品メーカー（キッコーマン、味の素など）や飲料メーカー（サントリー、キリン）も、M&Aや直接投資を通して、海外展開を加速させている。進出先では、表示に関して米国基準（スマートラベル）が採用される可能性が高い。この動きを注視すべきだろう。
また、国内の加工食品メーカーにも、この表示法が導入される可能性がある。すでに、健康栄養食品に関しては、米国のスマートラベルと同様なシステムが、わが国でも導入済みである。この先は、GMOやアレルギー成分（グルテンフリー）などの表示が義務化されることになるだろう。
以下は、GMAからのニュースリリース（2015年12月2日）の記事である。
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
News Release (SmartLabel™)
December 2, 2015
Contact:
Brian Kennedy
202-639-5994
New SmartLabel™ Initiative Gives Consumers Easy Access to Detailed Ingredient Information on Thousands of Products
Major Companies Commit to Using SmartLabel™ for Wide Range of Products
(Washington, D.C.) – An innovative SmartLabel™ technology initiative announced today by leading food, beverage and consumer products companies will enable consumers to have easy and instantaneous access to detailed information about thousands of products, with more than 30 major companies already committed to taking part in the transparency initiative.
This transformative new program, created by manufacturers and retailers, enables consumers to get additional details about products by scanning a bar code or doing an online search to reach a landing page with information on ingredients and other attributes of a wide range of food, beverage, pet care, household and personal care products. SmartLabel™ will provide consumers at the touch of finger all the information they want to know about what they are purchasing. It is designed so that consumers can easily have access to a wide variety of information but can hone in on a question they have on an ingredient or product in just one or two clicks.
“People want more information and are asking more questions about products they buy, use and consume, and SmartLabel™ puts detailed information right at their fingertips,” said Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. “SmartLabel™ is a modern technology that will change how people shop and will help them get answers to questions they have on the products they purchase when they want that information.”
SmartLabel™ makes it easier than ever for shoppers to find information about products they use and consume. SmartLabel™ will be available on an array of food, beverage, personal care, household and pet care products with information on hundreds of attributes covering thousands of products, including nutritional information, ingredients, allergens, third-party certifications, social compliance programs, usage instructions, advisories and safe handling instructions and company/brand information, along with other pertinent information about the product.
A recent survey by Benenson Strategy Group found that 75 percent of consumers said they would be likely to use SmartLabel™, showing that the program will meet a consumer desire for more product information.
How SmartLabel™ Works
Each individual product in SmartLabel™ will have a specific landing page containing detailed information from the manufacturer on ingredients and other product attributes. All SmartLabel™
landing pages are organized in a similar format, with a consistent look across products, whether the consumer is looking at a gallon of ice cream or a gallon of laundry detergent.
Consumers will be able to find this detailed product information in several ways: by scanning a QR code on the package, using a web search such as through Google, Yahoo or Bing, going to a participating company’s web site, or eventually through an app. A number of retailers have said that they can help shoppers without smartphones via their customer service desk in stores. In addition, both online and brick and mortar stores are exploring ways to make SmartLabel™ more accessible to their customers such as by posting the SmartLabel™ link on their page to allow access in one click or through customer service desks.
Information through SmartLabel™ will be available instantaneously whether a consumer is in the store, at home, or work, or using a smart phone, tablet or desktop computer. The information can be accessed by consumers in cities, suburbs and rural areas.
More than 30 Major Companies Already Committed to SmartLabel™
Some companies are beginning to offer products using SmartLabel™ late this year and early in 2016, with projections of nearly 30,000 total products using SmartLabel™ by the end of 2017. Early estimates indicate that within five years, more than 80 percent of the food, beverage, pet care, personal care and household products that consumers buy will be using SmartLabel™.
More than 30 of the nation’s major food, beverage and consumer products companies already are committed to using SmartLabel to provide detailed information about their products. These include ConAgra Foods, Hormel Foods, Campbell Soup Company, Knouse Foods, Land O’Lakes, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Hershey, J.M. Smucker Company, Kellogg Company, General Mills, McCormick & Company, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Bruce Foods Corporation, Bumble Bee Seafoods, Ferraro USA, Flowers Foods, Reily Foods Company, Rich Products Corporation, Sunny Delight Beverages Co., Tyson Foods, Inc., Ahold USA, Topco LLC, The WhiteWave Foods Company, Pharmavite LLC, Clorox, Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
“People’s relationship with food has changed dramatically and consumers now want to know more about their food, such as where it came from and what went into making it,” said J.P. Bilbrey, who is chairman, president and CEO The Hershey Company and chairman of GMA’s board of directors. “SmartLabel™ creates a way for consumers to get unprecedented access to information about what is in their food. This is what real food transparency is about.”
“As more and more consumers are looking for responsible and sustainable brands, SmartLabel™ can link consumers to information about how a brand integrates sustainability into its products’ ingredients and lifecycle,” said Kees Kruythoff, President of Unilever North America, a leading marketer of U.S. personal care and food brands. “SmartLabel™ is an important tool for brands to provide more product information, helping build trust with consumers who are increasingly mobile and online.”
Many Companies Will Disclose GMO Ingredients, But Want Uniform Standard
Overall, companies are projecting that, by the end of 2017, they will disclose via SmartLabel™ whether 20,000 food products do, may or do not contain ingredients sourced from genetically engineered (GE) crops, commonly known as GMOs. Current estimates indicate that number could triple once a uniform national standard is set for GMOs.
GMA and a wide range of agriculture and business groups are urging Congress to pass legislation setting a uniform national standard for GMO labeling to replace a patchwork of state labeling mandates that vary from state to state.
GMA SmartLabel Research Methodology
This research was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group. The interviews took place from November 10th – 15th, 2015 and included 902 interviews with a national sample of consumers who are the primary food and grocery shoppers in their households. All interviews were conducted over the internet. The margin of error for the entire data set is ±3.19% at the 95% confidence level.
###
Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe.
Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders.
In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.
