Dannon's Pledge and Farm Groups Response

This spring, the Dannon yogurt company announced a pledge to move three of its brands to be made with non-GMO ingredients along with non-GMO feed for the cows sourcing the milk by 2018 as well as committing to consumer transparency by labeling GMOs on their other packaging. Recently a group of farm organizations sent a letter to Dannon officials stating the pledge was misleading.
Chris Galen with the National Milk Producers Federation says concerns about the impacts of GMO feed in the dairy supply are unfounded and such pledges are misleading consumers.
Galen: “There is no such thing as Genetically Modified milk just because a cow may consume corn or soybeans. That has actually been very clear in science and the recent legislation that was signed into law by the President also clarifies that you don’t have biotech milk just because you have GMOs grains that go into the cattle. So it is time that for those of us in agriculture who believe in sustainability. Who believe in using natural resources call out those companies that are trying to convince consumers and really deceive consumers in to believe that you can eliminate GMOs and produce a more sustainable food product.”
Dannon did have a response to the letter which stated, “Regarding GMO crops, we believe the currently approved GMOs are safe. Furthermore, we believe that sustainable agricultural practices can be achieved with or without the use of GMOs. However, we believe there is growing consumer preference for non-GMO ingredients and food in the US and we want to use the strong relationships we have with our farmer partners to provide products that address this consumer demand.”