Soup-maker Campbell switches to GMO labelling

Campbell Soup also called for the US federal government to provide a national standard for GMO labelling, and said it would withdraw from all efforts by groups opposing such measures.

The likes of Monsanto, PepsiCo and Kellogg have invested significant sums of money in defeating moves to introduce mandatory labelling in a number of states, claiming it would add unnecessary costs.

In the EU, all food containing or consisting of GMOs, or containing ingredients produced from GMOs, must have the information displayed on the label.

However, products made with GM technology, such as cheese produced with GM enzymes, do not have to be labelled. Products from animals fed on GM animal feed also do not need to be labelled.

Federal legislation​

Campbell, which also makes Pepperidge Farm cookies and Prego pasta sauces, said it would call for federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages to be “clearly and simply”​ labelled for GMOs.

The company continued to oppose a patchwork of state-by-state labelling laws, which it believed were “incomplete, impractical and create unnecessary confusion for consumers”​.

Campbell’s president and ceo Denise Morrison said: “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% of consumers in favour of putting it on the label.​

“Our support of mandatory federal GMO labelling sets a new bar for transparency.​

There is currently no federal regulation requiring labelling that informs consumers about the presence of GMOs in their food.”​

Piecemeal approach​

Morrison noted how, in the absence of federal action, many states have attempted to address this issue.

“Put simply, although we believe that consumers have the right to know what’s in their food, we also believe that a state-by-state piecemeal approach is incomplete, impractical and costly to implement for food makers. More importantly, it’s confusing to consumers,”​ she said.

Morrison stressed that the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence indicated GMOs were safe and that foods derived from crops using genetically modified seeds were not nutritionally different from other foods.

“In America, many farmers who grow canola​ [oilseed rape], corn, soybean and sugar beets choose to use genetically modified seeds and have done so for nearly 20 years. More than 90% of these four crops in America are currently grown using GMO seeds,”​ she said.

“We also believe that GMOs and other technologies will play a crucial role in feeding the world.”​

Campbell also said it would remove artificial colours and flavours from nearly all of its North American products by July 2018.