Campbell Soup to support US law for labelling of genetically modified food

Campbell Soup Co, the maker of canned tomato and mushroom soups, said it would back rules being considered in the US for the establishment of a single mandatory labeling standard for genetically modified food.

The Camden, New Jersey-based company will support federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture to be clearly labelled for genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, it said in a statement Friday.

Campbell Soup would also withdraw from all efforts led by groups opposed to such measures.

Labelling standards for genetically modified food had been entangled in controversy, with food makers protesting as individual states such as Vermont, Maine and Connecticut proposed their own mandatory labelling laws.

Campbell Soup ''continues to oppose a patchwork of state-by-state labeling laws, which it believes are incomplete, impractical and create unnecessary confusion for customers,'' it said in the statement.

The company ''continues to recognize that GMOs are safe, as the science indicates that foods derived from crops grown using genetically modified seeds are not nutritionally different from other foods,'' it added.

The company said it also believes technology will play a crucial role in feeding the world.

The company will advocate for federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be clearly and simply labeled for GMOs.

Campbell is also supportive of a national standard for non-GMO claims made on food packaging.

Campbell is optimistic a federal solution can be established in a reasonable amount of time if all the interested stakeholders cooperate.

However, if that is not the case, Campbell is prepared to label all of its US products for the presence of ingredients that were derived from GMOs, not just those required by pending legislation in Vermont.

The company would seek guidance from the FDA and approval by USDA.

Campbell continues to recognize that GMOs are safe, as the science indicates that foods derived from crops grown using genetically modified seeds are not nutritionally different from other foods.