Last updated on March 22nd, 2016 at 01:14 pm
General Mills soon will label all its products made with genetically modified ingredients, according to a company blog post published on Friday. The company’s decision comes on the heels of a failed national labeling bill and as Vermont’s deadline for labeling GMO products sold in its state looms.
The national legislation, spearheaded by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), would have established a uniform voluntary GMO labeling standard to be developed by USDA within two years of the bill’s enactment. It also would have prohibited any state from setting separate GMO labeling requirements. Contention over the bill stemmed from opponents’ belief that a national standard should be mandatory rather than voluntary.
With that legislation voted down, Vermont’s labeling law still is scheduled to take effect on July 1, prompting companies like Campbell Soup Co., and now General Mills, to develop national GMO labels that comply with Vermont’s rules.
“We can’t label our products for only one state without significantly driving up costs for our consumers, and we simply won’t do that,” wrote Jeff Harmening, EVP and COO for U.S. retail at General Mills, on the company’s website. “The result: Consumers all over the country will soon begin seeing words legislated by the state of Vermont on the labels of many of their favorite General Mills food products.”
According to reports, a spokesman for General Mills has said that the new label will begin appearing on products over the next several weeks. In the meantime, the company has developed a tool for its website that allows customers to search for products and learn whether or not they contain GMOs.
“All sides of this debate, 20 years of research, and every major health and safety agency in the world agree that GMOs are not a health or safety concern. At the same time, we know that some consumers are interested in knowing which products contain GMO ingredients,” wrote Harmening.
For those looking to avoid modified ingredients, Harmening pointed to General Mills’ organic or non-GMO brands: Annie’s, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen and Larabar.
In response to General Mills’ announcement, the Grocery Manufacturers Association released a statement emphasizing the need for a national labeling law. “Today’s announcement is the latest example of how Vermont’s looming labeling mandate is a serious problem for businesses. Food companies are being forced to make decisions on how to comply and having to spend millions of dollars. One small state’s law is setting labeling standards for consumers across the country. GMA member companies such as General Mills are individually deciding how they will comply with the Vermont law, even as the company is working with other food manufacturers, retailers and agriculture groups to continue to push for passage of the federal bill that would protect consumers, farmers and small businesses from a costly patchwork of state labeling laws. This announcement should give new urgency to the need for action on a national law when the Senate returns from its recess in April.”
