Industry News - PM

Campbell Soup comes out in support of GMO labeling


By Lisa M. Keefe on 1/8/2016

Campbell Soup Company is the first packaged food company to publicly support enactment of federal legislation to establish a single mandatory labeling standard for foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the company said in a news release.

The company has prepared labels for its soups and other products that comply with pending state GMO labeling legislation in Vermont. However, Campbell is calling on Congress to establish mandatory, national labeling standards covering GMOs.

“A national standard would better inform consumers and would preempt numerous state labeling efforts, which are incomplete, impractical and confusing,” the company said in its release. “[I]t is necessary for the federal government to provide a national standard for labeling requirements to better inform consumers about this issue.”

The company promised to advocate for federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA to be clearly and simply labeled for GMOs. Campbell is said it supported a national standard for non-GMO claims made on food packaging.

As a result of its decision to support mandatory national GMO labeling, Campbell will withdraw from all efforts led by coalitions and groups opposing such measures. Further, the company added that if a “federal solution” can’t be agreed upon within a “reasonable” amount of time, “Campbell is prepared to label all of its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients that were derived from GMOs, not just those required by pending legislation in Vermont.”

Even so, the company said it recognizes that GMOs are safe and that “technology will play a crucial role in feeding the world.”


 
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