By Baran Hines
Mars Incorporated, the company that owns many popular chocolate candy brands has announced that it intends to label the products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), to comply with Vermont’s law. Vermont is the first state to require such labeling, effective July 1, 2016. The company will label its products nationwide, not just for the state of Vermont. Popular brands include M&M’s, SNICKERS, Dove, Galaxy, Mars, Milky Way, TWIX, 3 MUSKETEERS and more.
The decision comes at a time when GMO policy is in focus for the 2016 election season. Last week, the U.S. Senate voted 48-49 against a bill that would have blocked states from making their own GMO labeling laws. Senate Bill 2609, the Biotech Labeling Solutions Act has been called the DARK Act, an acronym for Deny Americans the Right to Know.
The biotech industry has worked with processed food companies to fund multiple initiatives in response to Vermont’s law including the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CFSAF) which is in support of the bill in Congress to ban state GMO labeling laws. CFSAF has been lobbying for a “common-sense proposal immediately that creates a uniform, national food labeling standard”, but seeks policy in favor of voluntary GMO labeling while excluding state laws. CFSAF has been running video commercials on YouTube and website ads featuring farmers and Senators calling for more favorable GMO policy. The ads often claim that farmers and families would be hurt by mandatory GMO label laws. CFSAF’s website states that families may end up paying more than $1000 extra annually for food because of state GMO labeling laws.
Another processed food industry group lobbying for similar legislation is the Grocery Manufacturers’ Association, which has challenged Vermont’s law in federal court.
In 2012, California voters could not pass Prop 37, a ballot measure that would have required labels for GMO. Monsanto and other major food companies spent almost $30 million to defeat the initiative.
Mars’ Position on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
Mars, Incorporated has two overriding concerns: to manufacture and sell products that meet the highest standards of quality and food safety; and to satisfy our consumers’ needs.
All the ingredients we use in our products comply with our own strict internal quality and safety requirements as well as all applicable laws and regulations.
AIn addition, because we depend on our consumers for our success, we seek to understand their needs. In this way we aim to deliver products that match the different tastes, preferences and perceptions of consumers in different parts of the world.
s a result, our business units throughout the world make decisions about the ingredients used in the products they sell, based on the expectations of consumers in their region and the availability of ingredients.
Mars’ Position on GMO Labeling in the U.S.
At Mars, we not only ensure the safety of all raw materials in our products, we’re also committed to being transparent with our consumers so they can understand what’s in the products they love.
In 2014, the state of Vermont passed a mandatory genetically modified (GM) ingredient labeling law that requires most human food products containing GM ingredients to include on-pack labeling as of July 2016. To comply with that law, Mars is introducing clear, on-pack labeling on our products that contain GM ingredients nationwide.
We firmly believe GM ingredients are safe. Food developed through biotechnology has been studied extensively and judged safe by a broad range of regulatory agencies, scientists, health professionals, and other experts around the world.
Baran Hines writes for ActivistPost.com. He is the founder of WTFRLY.com, where you can read more of his work. This article may be reposted in part or in full with author attribution and source link.
See one little guy can fight “City Hall”!! Thank you Vermont!!! /;-D
Well lets hope that all of the food companies follow suite and label their products with any and all GMO’s that they may contain.And lets hope they do it honestly and list everything and are not paid off by Monsanto to fudge the package as free of GMO’s. I hope enough people wise up to what they are consuming when they ingest GMO’s and the overall healty risk they put themselves at.You have to ask yourself if Monsantos goes out of the way to hide this labeling of food then what is their motive in doing so.Profit is number one for sure.But there is all so the fact that GMO’s change DNA and not for the better.They make people sick and that leads to more profits by big Pharma.If Monsanto has it way they will buy up every seed company and then they will be offering only Modified seeds.No longer will you have open pollinated seeds or heirloom.
Thats so true, friend. This is a serious issue, because they killing our children. And that is worth fighting for. What these cockroaches do is unforgivable imo. Its time to seek some justice for the crap we are putting up with from our coward puppet politicians, too!
6.9 million youths are now infertile…coincidence mabey…doubt it though
If we can prove GMO’s are hurting people, we can sue the crap out of Monsanto and anyone else involved. Millions of lawsuits will bankrupt the company, right or wrong?
Well, in a perfect world you would be right. However, we are now being sold out by our world leaders who are in the business of protecting these big industry mongrels. Have you noticed new laws coming through on a regular basis that tend to prevent us from having a voice? Heavy fines and even imprisonment are being used to prevent us from protesting even the most pressing issues now. Also, once they defeat you in court they pass the legal costs on to you. All these examples happened recently in my home city! Our governments have no interest in supporting us now Im afraid. That ship sailed a long, long time ago…
Thanks for bursting my bubble… But you are right.
I hate bursting bubbles, Grandma! I feel you will be ok though. Have a happy easter and enjoy everything you have. 😉
Happy Easter to you and yours. May God Bless….
One small step on the road to sanity.
And why not!
If you’ll remember almost all of the “anti-pollution” devices on cars today, came out as a results of laws passed in California because of the air in Los Angeles. This has had many good effects on the environment ever sense.
I only buy food that is labeled NON GMO, Organic and certified or locally grown. Also take the time to read ingredients on all packages as for the rest of this crap I would not eat it anyway
Unfortunately we are in the minority. If Monsatan was not so worried about us making the connection between their food & illness they would not have fought so hard to prevent labeling. The sad part is most folks STILL don’t know [or care] about GMO. If they had been smart they would have labeled it from the beginning & continued to promote it. Most of the sheeple never read the labels anyway & those who do would have believed the hype. Kind of like the fools who go out & buy fluoridated “infant water”. Powdered formula already has .3ppm of F in it. Add to that the .7ppm in F water and you are overdosing an infant to the point where they will have lowered IQ, acid reflux,rashes, brittle bones & teeth, kidney problems & more. .7ppm is the dose for a 200lb man not an 8lb infant. Of course that does not take into account the F exposure you will get from food, juice, tea, alcoholic beverages,air pollution and pharmaceutical drugs. Go to http://www.slweb.org and click on the FTRC link for 300+drugs to avoid. Fluoride is a CUMULATIVE poison and a catalyst that combines with other toxins & locks them up in your body. http://www.fluoridealert.org.
Honestly, how does it make one feel when you realise that our childrens safety and health are at serious risk? I buy from local markets but even the crops here have been destroyed because local farmer got into bed with GMO. Destroyed the organic farms in the area! We dont know what we are eating now. the word ORGANIC is used very loosley now too!
No where in the Mars statement do they directly state that their products are GMO free or identify a an available listing of which ingredients for the products are or aren’t GMO. The labeling requirements of Vermont are a step in the right direction but what is really needed is a complete ban of any food with any GMO ingredients. The same should apply to cell phones, wi-fi units and smart meters and all other EMF emitting technologies and of course we need to get the poisonous elements out of other processes and products that continually assault US like vaccines and chemtrails, and fracking. The states can nullify the federal government, states can remove the charters of corporations and states can make their own currency.
I’d be the last person to say give up but this has been going on longer than most of us realize. Is it too late? I look up in the sky and start to feel sick thinking about the poisons my body might be taking in,eyes, skin and lungs. I feel for my children and grand children. Is there a future for them.
The good companies label their products as organic and gmo free. Chipottle has been attacked ever since they said they were going organic.
na na na Monsanto must die along with it’s employees.