Campbell Soup Company has announced that they will start tagging "GMO" on its products that include genetically modified ingredients in them. The food giant believes that the move is a step towards the transparency that consumers deserve.
"We have always believed that consumers have the right to know what's in their food. GMO has evolved to be a top consumer food issue reaching a critical mass of 92 percent of consumers in favor of putting it on the label," Denise Morrison, president and CEO of Campbell, said in his memo for the employees of the company, according to Popular Science.
Despite the move to "warn" consumers that a product has GMO in it, Campbell remains firm in its stand that GMO products are safe.
"The science indicates that foods derived from crops grown using genetically modified seeds are not nutritionally different from other foods," the company said, USA Today reported.
Organizations that fight for the labeling campaign, such as Environmental Working Group and Just Label It, applaud Campbell's bold move because despite other companies battling to stop the bill requiring GMO labels from being passed, Campbell has made a move to support it, Reuters reported.
Now, pressure is felt by the rest of the industry. However, organizations against the GMO labeling are also firm in their stand against the bill and will not show support for Campbell's decision.
"While individual companies are free to make labeling decisions that are best for their businesses, it remains the overwhelming consensus that on-package labeling of foods made with GMOs is unnecessary, inherently misleading and will drive up food prices for consumers," The Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, an agriculture industry group that is against GMO labeling, said in a statement, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The bill on GMO labeling is still under scrutiny in most states, but the state of Vermont has already passed it as a law, as HNGN previously reported.
