GMO labeling

New Law Could Remove GMO Labeling From Thousands of Foods

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture works to establish a uniform national standard for labeling foods that may be genetically engineered, critics continue to call out the dangers of putting the federal government in charge of the situation. The federal government was first granted this authority in July 2016 when former President Obama signed into law a bill which amended the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the national standard for labeling GE foods.

USDA Approves 2 New Types of GMO Potatoes

Two new types of genetically modified (GM) potatoes were approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on October 28. The GM potatoes are designed to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine.
Source: PotatoPro.com
The approval covers Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co.’s Ranger Russet and Atlantic varieties of the company’s 2nd generation of Innate potatoes.

Monsanto Gets the First CRISPR License to Modify Crops

Monsanto announced last week that it licensed the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool from the Broad Institute in Boston for use in seed development. The technology will allow the agritech giant to edit crops’ DNA by “snipping” away undesirable traits – or adding in more desirable ones – of the plants’ genetic codes. Frankenfood? [1]
Source: Business Insider

Dannon Unveils Non-GMO, Less-Sugar Yogurt in the U.S.

On July 13, Dannon executives unveiled Dannon and Oikos Greek yogurt products containing more natural and non-GMO ingredients. [1]
The company plans to highlight the non-GMO ingredients on all of its product packaging. It is also ensuring that by the end of 2018, all cows that supply milk for these products (as well as its Danimals brand) will be fed non-GMO feed, which will impact some 80,000 acres of farmland.

Another Win! Kellogg’s and Mars to Label GMOs Nationwide

First General Mills announced its plans to label GMOs, and now 2 more Big Food companies are following the company’s lead. Both Kellogg’s and Mars will now label many of their products with the words, “produced with genetic engineering” if they contain GMO ingredients, starting in mid-April.
Big Food Finally Bows to Consumer Pressure for GM Labeling

ConAgra to Label All Products with Genetically Modified Ingredients

The list seems to grow daily. The multinational ConAgra now joins General Mills, Mars, and Kellogg’s as a company which will label its products if they contain genetically modified ingredients. With Vermont’s mandatory GM labeling bill going into effect this summer, this is a decision more companies will have to make, and soon.