Source: Campbell Soup Company
In a break from its Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) peers, Campbell Soup announced last week that the manufacturer would support mandatory labeling listing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) contained in all packaged foods.
The company has made the calculation that it should support a national standard because: a) consumers support including labels that list GMOs and; b) because the action removes the spectacle of 50 states passing their own labeling requirements. Campbell Soup has pointed out that its support for a national label standard does not mean that it has changed its opinion on the safety of GMOs.
"We have always believed that consumers have the right to know what's in their food," wrote Denise Morrison, president and chief executive of Campbell Soup, on the company's blog. "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."
Campbell has met with a variety of stakeholders seeking to resolve GMO labeling issue since 2011. "Despite these efforts," wrote Ms. Morrison. "Congress has not been able to resolve this issue. We now believe that proposing a mandatory national solution is necessary. Printing a clear and simple statement on the label is the best solution for consumers and for Campbell."
While Campbell plans to continue as a GMA member, it said the company would withdraw its support for that and other groups' efforts to oppose mandatory GMO labeling on the federal level.