Community Garden Magazine Issue Eight April 2016 Community Garden Magazine Issue Eight April 2016 | Page 31

What You Need to Know About
GMOs

If you’re buying a can of Campbell’s soup, you may soon notice something new on the
label: The Campbell Soup Co. (which manufactures this product, as well as many other
common grocery store brands) recently announced that it will start to label any of its
products that contain genetically engineered foods (also known as Genetically Modified
Organisms, or GMOs). This marks the first time a major consumer brand is supporting
the idea of labeling GMOs.
A GMO is any living organism whose genes have been deliberately changed to modify
their characteristics in some way, usually by inserting a gene from another unrelated
species. A typical example is a plant that is changed to be more resistant to a certain
type of insect or disease. Although the FDA does not require companies to label foods
that contain genetically modified ingredients, Campbell’s decision is part of a trend to be
more forthcoming to consumers and avoid conflicts down the road. “If Campbell’s didn’t
think it was a good marketing move, they wouldn’t be doing this,” notes Matt Grieser,
31