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General Mills flew the white flag of surrender alongside a GMO label, as the company announced [March 18] it would place labels on its products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
This makes General Mills the second major food company this year to acquiesce to GMO labels and comes after the Senate failed on [March 16] to strike a compromise and override individual state laws. In January, Campbell’s Soup announced a decision to break from the food industry line and support labels, saying that although they believe GMOs are safe, the patchy labeling requirements will confuse grocery shoppers.
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Statements by both companies reveal frustration with the federal government’s inability to resolve the issue, which has taken on new urgency because Vermont’s law requiring GMO labels takes effect in July. Food companies spent $100 million lobbying against mandatory labels last year, but with [Mach 16’s] failure in the Senate, General Mills apparently decided the battle was lost.
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“We can’t label our products for only one state without significantly driving up costs for our consumers,” wrote General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening in a blog post. “With the Vermont labeling legislation upon us, and with the distinct possibility that other states will enact different labeling requirements, what we need is simple: We need a national solution.”
The Grocery Manufacturers Association followed the General Mills announcement with disapproval of the federal government’s inaction.
Read full, original post: Why General Mills adopts GMO labeling, but Congress hesitates
