---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 1639c"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "1639c"
heading: "Savings provisions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/1639c"
units:
  - "Chapter 38 — Distribution and Marketing of Agricultural Products"
  - "Subchapter V — National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard"
---

# §1639c. Savings provisions

- (a) **Trade—** This subchapter shall be applied in a manner consistent with United States obligations under international agreements.
- (b) **Other authorities—** Nothing in this subchapter—
  - (1) affects the authority of the [Secretary](/usc/7/1639.md?p=3) of Health and Human Services or creates any rights or obligations for any [person](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-1) under the Federal [Food](/usc/7/1639.md?p=2), Drug, and Cosmetic Act ([21 U.S.C. 301](/usc/21/301.md) et seq.); or
  - (2) affects the authority of the [Secretary](/usc/7/1639.md?p=3) of the Treasury or creates any rights or obligations for any [person](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-1) under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act ([27 U.S.C. 201](/usc/27/201.md) et seq.).
- (c) **Other—** A [food](/usc/7/1639.md?p=2) may not be considered to be “not bioengineered”, “non-GMO”, or any other similar claim describing the absence of [bioengineering](/usc/7/1639.md?p=1) in the [food](/usc/7/1639.md?p=2) solely because the [food](/usc/7/1639.md?p=2) is not required to bear a disclosure that the [food](/usc/7/1639.md?p=2) is bioengineered under this subchapter.

## Source credit

(Aug. 14, 1946, ch. 966, title II, § 294, as added Pub. L. 114–216, § 1, July 29, 2016, 130 Stat. 838.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 675, 52 Stat. 1040, which is classified generally to chapter 9 (§ 301 et seq.) of Title 21, Food and Drugs. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 301 of Title 21 and Tables.

The Federal Alcohol Administration Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is act Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 814, 49 Stat. 977, which is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 201 et seq.) of chapter 8 of Title 27, Intoxicating Liquors. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 201 of Title 27 and Tables.