Another big food company ousts GMOs from most products

Item 2 below contains a fair amount of nonsense about what GMOs can actually do, but the news point - that tomato product company Red Gold is ousting GMOs from most of its products – is significant.

The move follows the announcement by yoghurt giant Dannon (it’s called Danone outside of the US) that it is phasing out GMO ingredients, including in the feed for its cows – see item 3 below.

1. Looming deadline
2. Red Gold ousts most GMOs, liner chemical
3. Dannon yogurt brand commits to GMO-free products and labels before 2018
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1. Is a GMO labeling victory within our grasp?

Organic Consumers Association, 1 May 2016
https://www.organicconsumers.org/blog/gmo-labeling-victory-within-our-grasp

Oh, to be a fly on the wall inside the offices of the top lobbyists for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

So close to the July 1 deadline for complying with Vermont’s GMO labeling law, and still no court ruling to overturn Vermont’s law. Still no federal legislation to preempt Vermont’s law.

Hundreds of millions of dollars spent to keep labels off GMO ingredients. Lawsuits, dirty tricks, shady schemes—all, so far, for naught.

Meanwhile, food corporations are labeling, or announcing plans to label, and preparing to implement those plans. Others, including Dannon, will remove GMO ingredients from their products.

Is victory really within our grasp this time?

The closer we get to July 1, the closer we are to winning the battle of all labeling battles. But we’re not there yet. Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) are still trying to get traction for a federal preemption bill. While in Vermont, the food industry is angling for longer deadlines and exemptions.

Thanks to your relentless pressure on Congress, things aren’t looking great right now for Monsanto and Big Food. But it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

Read the blog post
https://www.organicconsumers.org/blog/gmo-labeling-victory-within-our-grasp

TAKE ACTION (US): Stop the DARK Act Comeback! Tell your Senators: Protect Vermont’s GMO labeling law.
https://action.organicconsumers.org/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=18302
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2. Red Gold ousts most GMOs, liner chemical

By Christopher Stephens
The Herald Bulletin, 1 May 2016
http://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/red-gold-ousts-most-gmos-liner-chemical/article_2d1728a2-3028-5908-96a0-41ec02ac27c6.html

* Many believe genetically modified organisms aren't safe

In an effort to make its products as safe as possible, Elwood-based Red Gold says it won't use plant products that contain genetically modified organisms, nor will it use industrial chemical BPA in the lining of its cans.

Of the 93 products produced by the tomato product production company, 90 will now carry a label identifying them as not containing GMOs or using liners with bisphenol A, or BPA.

Red Gold products are sold across the country and can be found in most chain grocery stores.

“Everything we do as a company is guided by our mission to provide the freshest, best-tasting tomato products in the world,” said Colt Reichart, fourth-generation family owner of Red Gold.

The decision comes because many Americans are wary of genetically modified products, according to a poll conducted by ABC and TNS Intersearch in June 2015. Nearly two-thirds of people don’t believe GMOs are safe to eat and 93 percent of those polled believe companies should be required to label GMOs.

However, many scientists agree that modifying crops can help to make them more resistant to insects and disease, which means larger harvests and cheaper food.

BPA is an industrial chemical used in plastics, which some research has shown can leach out of plastic containers and into food, according to the Mayo Clinic. Possible effects from BPA can include brain and behavioral changes and damage to fetuses and young children.

However, more research is required to determine under what circumstances BPA can leach out of plastic containers, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

Reichart said the company’s decision to cut GMO and BPA products from production was made in order to make sure its products are as pure as possible.

“Proving the pure goodness of our products was a logical thing to do as a business, and honors the trust that families place in us each time they use our products,” he said.

What's this means? [sic]

BPA, or bisphenol A, is an industrial chemical used in plastics and resin that some research has shown can leach out of plastic containers and into food.

GMO, or a genetically modified organism, means an organism's DNA was changed to make it different, often to make it less susceptible to disease or contain more usable parts.
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3. Dannon yogurt brand commits to GMO-free products and labels before 2018

Food Safety Magazine, 28 April 2016
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/news/dannon-yogurt-brand-commits-to-gmo-free-products-and-labels-before-2018/

This week, major yogurt brand Dannon announced plans that will improve the company’s sustainable agriculture practices for its milk supply, increase transparency for its portfolio of products and evolve to more natural and fewer ingredients for Dannon’s three flagship brands--Dannon, Oikos and Danimals.

To achieve these goals, Dannon says it will use more natural ingredients that are not synthetic and do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This means that the feed of the cows used for Dannon’s products will also be non-GMO. All of this will come to fruition within the next 3 years, brand by brand.

To ensure full transparency for consumers, Dannon also commits to declare by December 2017 nationwide on label the presence of GMO ingredients in its products. In the meantime, if one state implements a GMO labeling requirement--since Dannon does favor a nationwide labeling system--it will label the presence of GMOs nationwide according to the state requirements.

The first impact of these changes will be visible starting July 2016, when the company will move to more natural ingredients which do not contain GMOs for its flagship brands Oikos, Danimals and Dannon. These brands represent 50 percent of the company’s current volume. For the company’s foundation ingredient--milk--Dannon will work with its farmer partners to ensure that the cows that supply Dannon’s milk for these flagship products will be fed nonGMO feed, a first for a leading nonorganic yogurt maker. This plan will be implemented in 2017 and should be complete by the end of 2018.

To further improve transparency, by December 2017, Dannon’s labels will note the presence of GMO ingredients in all products in which such ingredients remain. Looking further into the future, Dannon’s ambition is to also evolve the other brands in its portfolio, beyond Dannon, Oikos, and Danimals, over time.

Other brands that have announced similar plans so far this year include Del Monte, ConAgra, General Mills, Campbell's Soup, Kellogg's, and Mars.