Outstanding! We are finally making progress in the war on GMO’s (illegal in France). 30% of our population doesn’t want to eat them… That ECONOMIC POWER!!! Monsanto – do you hear this???
WSJ: The GMO Fight Ripples Down the Food Chain
Facing Consumer Pressure, More Firms Are Jettisoning GMOs From Their Foods
Two decades after the first genetically engineered seeds were sold commercially in the U.S., genetically modified organisms—the crops grown from such seeds—are the norm in the American diet, used to make ingredients in about 80% of packaged food, according to industry estimates. (Take a quiz about GMOs.)
Corporate Intelligence
Now an intensifying campaign, spearheaded by consumer and environmental advocacy groups likeGreen America, is causing a small but growing number of mainstream food makers to jettison genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. In addition to Ben & Jerry’s, a subsidiary of UnileverULVR.LN -0.31% PLC, General Mills Inc.GIS +0.08% this year started selling its original flavor Cheerios without GMOs.Post Holdings Inc. took the GMOs out ofGrape-Nuts. Boulder Brands Inc.BDBD -1.70% ‘s Smart Balance has converted to non-GMO for its line of margarine and other spreads. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. CMG -0.63% is switching to non-GMO corn tortillas.
“Non-GMO” is one of the fastest-growing label trends on U.S. food packages, with sales of such items growing 28% last year to about $3 billion, according to market-research firm Nielsen. In a poll of nearly 1,200 U.S. consumers for The Wall Street Journal, Nielsen found that 61% of consumers had heard of GMOs and nearly half of those people said they avoid eating them. The biggest reason was because it “doesn’t sound like something I should eat.”
Grass roots campaigns in several states are pushing for mandatory labeling of foods with GMOs—something most food companies staunchly oppose. In May, Vermont adopted the first state law requiring companies to label GMO foods, starting in 2016.
The anti-GMO backlash reflects the deep skepticism that has taken root among many U.S. consumers toward the food industry and, in particular, its use of technology. Similar criticism has roiled other food ingredients including artificial sweeteners and finely textured beef, the treated meat product that critics dubbed “pink slime.” The Web and social media have enabled consumer suspicions in such matters to coalesce into powerful movements that are forcing companies to respond.
Read the full story: http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-gmo-fight-ripples-down-the-food-chain-1407465378
Chez Froggie 