General Mills: Consumer and Environmental Groups Call on to Stop Funding Anti-GMO Labelling Efforts

St. Paul / MN. (cor) Consumer and environmental groups representing hundreds of thousands of consumers launched an advertising campaign directed at General Mills Inc. calling on the company to respond to consumer demands for the right to know what is in the food they buy and eat and to stop funding anti-food labelling efforts. General Mills, known for cereal brands like Cheerios and Wheaties, has spent millions of US-Dollars fighting efforts to require labels on food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

In an open letter published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the groups write «Your brand has been built on the reputation of trust. But while more than 90 percent of Americans want the right to choose whether their food contains genetically modified ingredients or GMOs, big food companies, like General Mills, spend millions of Dollars on anti-labelling initiatives that keep their customers in the dark».

«General Mills claims it wants to be «transparent» with consumers on the issue of GMOs», said Heather Kurth Flesland, Campaign Director, Right to Know MN. «A company is not «transparent» when secretly funnelling millions of Dollars into anti-GMO labelling campaigns. It is time for General Mills to start a real dialogue with consumers about their legitimate right to know what is in the food they eat and buy».

In the letter, the groups point to national surveys that show negative consequences for companies that are activity working to deny consumers the right to know: «Recent polling found that 84 percent of consumers believe that General Mills should stop spending money on campaigns that deny consumers the right to know and nearly 70 percent of consumers are less likely to purchase General Mills products knowing that the company funds campaigns to deny consumers the right to know».

The advertising campaign is part of an ongoing effort lead by Just Label It to change the positions of General Mills and other food companies who are out of step with the American public on the issue of GMO labelling. An online petition to General Mills has garnered over 200’000 signatures in recent weeks and reached over five million people over social media.

Studies consistently show an overwhelming majority of Americans support mandatory labelling for GMO foods. Mandatory labelling would bring the U.S. into alignment with most other developed countries – including 28 nations in the European Union as well as Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia, and China – all of whom already require labelling for GMOs.

• Right to Know MN
• Center for Food Safety
• Citizens for GMO Labeling, Inc.
• Environmental Working Group
• Food and Water Watch
• Friends of the Earth
• GMO Free New Jersey
• Greenpeace
• Illinois Right to Know GMO
• Just Label It
• Massachusetts Right to Know GMOs
• Moscow Food Co-op
• New Hampshire Right to Know GMO
• Pesticide Action Network North America

«As one of the nation’s foremost companies and head of more than 100 successful brands, we believe you can take the lead for the rights and well-being of all Americans. We strongly urge you to support mandatory (Food and Drug Administration) labelling of GMOs», the letter concludes.

Additional activities and events directed at General Mills will be launched in the coming weeks. More information about this campaign is available online on concealorreveal.org and on Twitter @justlabelit.