Cheerios Nixes Genetically Modified Ingredients
General Mills has removed the genetically modified ingredients from its original Cheerios cereal, the company announced Thursday.
General Mills will swap out sugar and corn starch for non-GM cane sugar as well as corn starch made with non-GM corn, Vice President of Global Communications for General Mills Tom Forsythe said in a blog post.
'We did it because we think consumers may embrace it,' Forsythe wrote.
Under Pressure--or Just Keeping Up Appearances?
Forsythe added that the decision was not made in response to pressure from consumers. Yet, General Mills -- along with many other American food companies -- have been petitioned by consumer interest groups to remove genetically modified organism (GMOs) from their products.
Safety concerns about GMOs have not been validated through scientific study. However, whether or not GM foods are harmful, many consumers argue that they have a right to know what's in their food.
The US Food and Drug Administration doesn't require GMO labeling, but that hasn't stopped grocers like Whole Foods from taking matters into their own hands. Last month Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said his chain would no longer sell Chobani yogurt. Whole Foods reportedly dropped the brand because it wants to make room for other products that either don't contain GMOs or clearly label that they do.
Last month Connecticut became the first state to pass a law requiring GMO labeling. However, the rule won't take effect until four more states pass labeling laws, according to Al Jazeera America .
Original Cheerios now have a label on the box that reads 'not made with genetically modified ingredients.' But other Cheerio varieties like Honey Nut Cheerios don't include labels stating that they are made with GM ingredients.
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LAURA MONTINI is a reporter at Inc. She previously covered health care technology for Health 2.0 News and has served as an associate editor at The Health Care Blog. She lives in San Francisco, CA.@lmmontini
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