Chipotle has started adding a red ‘G’ for GMOs next to foods on its online menu that are made using ingredients that may come from genetically modified crops such as corn and soy.
A federal judge handling a lawsuit filed in California over ‘all-natural’ claims on Mission tortilla chips has recommended that the case be put on hold for six months to give the FDA time to determine whether products containing GMOs should be labeled...
In an update on its probe into unauthorized genetically modified wheat detected in Oregon, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday that it “has neither found nor been informed of anything that would indicate that this incident amounts to more...
A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Monsanto by organic farmers and seed companies— but stressed that Monsanto has in turn given binding promises that it will not sue farmers whose crops have been inadvertently contaminated with...
The campaign for mandatory GMO labeling gained a further boost this week as the Maine House of Representatives voted 141-4 in favor of LD 718, a bill that would require foods made with ingredients from biotech crops to carry the label ‘Produced with Genetic...
Back in 2008/9, Boulder Brands CEO Steve Hughes had a lot of sleepless nights. The struggling Smart Balance spreads business - which represented 90% of group revenues - was running “in fourth gear” - and the economy was in the doldrums.
If it sounds like a ‘chemical’, or isn’t in the kitchen cupboard, shoppers may regard it with suspicion. But which ingredients are 'acceptable' to today's consumers, which are to be avoided, and who decides?
While polls suggest most Americans are in favor of labeling genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the percentage that spontaneously mention GMOs when asked an unaided question about what additional information they would like to see on food labels is...
With Japan and South Korea having placed export bans on some US wheat sources, the meter is running on potential damages from the GMO tainting incident in Oregon, said an attorney who has represented farmers in similar cases.
The proliferation of proposed state GMO labeling laws is a means to an end, according to one longtime advocate. The ultimate goal is a federal law that would require GMO labeling across the US.
The debate about the labeling of genetically modified organisms is unlikely to do much to further define what is and what isn’t ‘natural,’ an expert says.
Recent data from Symphony Consulting (click here), shows that while US retail sales of products making ‘natural’ claims still grew in 2012, the pace of that growth slowed noticeably compared with the 2009-11 period.
The legislative pressure on mandatory GMO labeling continues to build, at least on the state front, as the Connecticut State Senate voted 35-1 in favor of SB 802, a bill that would require labeling of products with genetically modified ingredients.
Big interview: Kevin Cleary, CEO Clif Bar & Company
Nutrition bars enter - and exit - the snacks aisle at the speed of light these days. So how has Clif Bar managed to sustain the kind of growth rivals can only dream of, year after year? Elaine Watson caught up with CEO Kevin Cleary to find out.
Big interview: Cathy Enright, EVP, food & agriculture, Biotechnology Industry Organization
When it comes to winning hearts and minds about the merits of genetically engineered ingredients (and whether to alert consumers to their presence on food labels), it’s fair to say that the biotech industry has not done a great job.
Whether the food industry likes it or not, when it comes to GMO labeling, the “train appears to have left the station”, according to former FDA associate commissioner of foods Dr David Acheson.
Major retailers from five European countries have urged greater support of non-GM soy production in Brazil, as increased demand for genetically modified (GM) soy from China risks diminishing non-GM supply.
The Vermont House of Representatives has passed H.112, a bill requiring the labeling of all genetically engineered (GE) food sold in Vermont. However, there are plenty of hurdles ahead.
How can you get more bang for your R&D buck? How does Unilever gain deeper consumer insights online? Why don’t manufacturers share more information with key suppliers?
The price differential between Hain Celestial’s brands and mainstream grocery brands will close over time as the big guns in consumer packaged goods come under increasing pressure to source non-GMO ingredients, predict bosses at the organic and natural...
Founded in the same year that Edison created the first functioning light bulb, Thompson Brands is one of America’s oldest chocolate companies. But it hasn’t stayed in business this long by resting on its laurels, CEO Gene Dunkin tells Elaine Watson.
An Abbott Laboratories shareholder proposal to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from its natural products - including its Similac infant formula range - has been rejected, the company has revealed.
On day two of the 2013 Food Technology & Innovation Forum in Chicago, R&D bosses from the world's biggest food and beverage companies learned how Unilever gains consumer insights online, what Nestlé thinks about biotech crops and how McDonald's...
Monsanto has joined forces with DSM to commercialize a genetically engineered soybean oil rich in the omega-3 fatty acid SDA (stearidonic acid) that can offer a more cost-effective means of adding omega-3s to foods without the flavor, stability and shelf-life...
Natural Food Certifiers (NFC) is offering an alternative to the non-GMO Project verified seal with the launch of a new product verification program called GMO Guard.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) must do more to foster coexistence of genetically modified and non-genetically modified crops, the Center for Science in the Public Interest says.
AquaBounty Technologies says it remains confident that there will still be a market for its genetically engineered (GE) AquAdvantage salmon if the FDA approves it, even though some leading food retailers now say they won’t stock it.
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has called for all foods containing GMOs to be “accurately labeled under a national uniform standard so consumers can make educated decisions about foods they purchase”.
As moves to secure GMO labeling continue to gain momentum at a state level, Whole Foods Market has “put a stake in the ground” and made a commitment to label all products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its US and Canadian stores by...
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Organic Voices, the group behind the Just Label It campaign, have announced a new collaboration to advocate for the labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients and to highlight the benefits of...
Organic Valley recently announced a plan to distribute more than $1 million in grants to fund research, education and advocacy on the production of organic foods. The grants have long term goals and a near term objective, with one of the biggest individual...
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR is working on a bill that would make the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms a matter of federal law, a spokesperson confirmed yesterday. If passed, the bill, which is still in its early formative stages...
AquaBounty Technologies - which has already spent years waiting for the FDA to decide whether to approve its genetically engineered (GE) salmon - will have to wait a little longer as the agency plows through almost 30,000 comments submitted since it gave...
GMO Inside, a national coalition of companies and organizations, has marshaled a public Valentine’s Day campaign to pressure Hershey and Mars to drop GMO ingredients or to label them in their chocolate candies.
Z Trim Holdings, Inc. announced the first sales of its non-GMO Z Trim corn fiber functional food ingredient. The company announced only in December that it was adding the non-GMO option to its line of Z Trim ingredients that help to reduce fat and calories,...
Herbal Papaya, a company founded on the health benefits of the fruit, will launch a complete line of food, beverage and supplement products at the Expo West trade show in March. A key part of the company’s message is that all of its products are non...
Supporters of a New Mexico Senate bill proposing mandatory labeling for genetically engineered food and feed say they are disappointed it died on the Senate floor last week, but remain confident that other states’ GMO labeling initiatives will succeed.
Sales of natural products featuring third party certifications surged in 2012, according to new data from SPINS, with non-GMO project verified products leading the charge (+18%), followed by Fair Trade USA (+17%), Certified Gluten Free (+17%), and Certified...
Cereal giants Kellogg and General Mills have both defended the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their breakfast cereals in response to a January anti-GMO campaign against them.
The first Non-GMO Project verified frozen food entrée in the US will hit store shelves by the end of the month under the Saffron Road brand. It was a complicated, time-consuming process but one that company officials believe will ultimately pay off.
New Mexico has joined Washington and California to become the latest US state asked to consider mandatory labeling for foods containing genetically engineered ingredients.
The boss of AquaBounty Technologies - which has spent years waiting for the FDA to decide whether to approve its genetically engineered (GE) salmon - says the tortuous process “has already had a chilling effect on research and investment in this field...
Supporters of a Washington State ballot initiative that would require GMO labeling have turned in more than 340,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office, well in excess of the number required for certification, the campaign said. Supporters said...
It was a fascinating month for the US food and beverage industry, with California rejecting Prop 37, ConAgra Foods finally agreeing a deal to acquire Ralcorp, Hostess Brands throwing in the towel, and FDA exercising its FSMA muscle.
Consumers, market researchers tell us, want foods that are ‘wholesome’, ‘authentic’, and above all ‘natural’, although few of them can articulate what this means. And they are not alone. Regulators have not had much of a stab at defining ‘natural’ either,...
California’s Proposition 37, once considered a shoo-in after earlier poll results, is now looking like a dead heat, according to a Los Angeles Times poll.
The ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns for Californian GMO labeling initiative Prop 37 kicked into overdrive this month ahead of the Nov 6 vote; Pepsi hinted at a big protein-based product launch, Unilever put Skippy on the block and Chobani faced some healthy...
