Fifth big food company falls to Vermont’s labelling law

ConAgra Foods Inc. is going nationwide with labels that will say a food product is made with GMOs, finding it to be the easiest way to comply with a Vermont law on GMO labelling. This development is reported in an article in the Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall) and in a statement from the company.

ConAgra follows Kellogg’s, General Mills, Campbell’s and Mars Inc., which have all said they are changing their food packaging across the whole of the US in response to Vermont’s law requiring labelling of GMO ingredients as of 1 July this year.

These companies say it would be too complex and expensive to create a separate distribution network for Vermont. Last week, an effort by some members of Congress to block Vermont's law stalled, pushing packaged food makers to prepare for it now.

So far, Campbell’s is the only big company to break from the pack and endorse mandated on-package GMO labelling, while cutting funding to lobbying efforts that oppose it. Campbell said it will keep GMO labels on applicable food nationally, regardless of whether a federal mandatory labelling standard is achieved.