Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Quietly begins GMO labeling
May 13, 2016
of Pepsi were recently found sporting the phrase “Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering.”
The Consumerist reports Pepsi, along with sister company Frito-Lay, plans to label products on a nationwide basis. The company says the “Partial” terminology can be used on any product that uses less than 75 percent of ingredients from GMO sources. Pepsi has quietly begun the GMO labeling as the company is part of a lawsuit against the Vermont labeling law. Pepsi and Frito-Law are members of trade groups which filed the lawsuit alleging the labeling requirement is unconstitutional. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the rule. In April 2015, the district court denied the trade groups’ request for an injunction and the industry appealed the ruling. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on the matter in October last year but has yet to issue a ruling.
The most recent company to voluntarily add GMO labeling to its packaging is PepsiCo. According to new reports, the Frito-Lay parent company has begun labeling certain products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from both the Pepsi and Frito-Lay lines, ostensibly before Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law goes into effect in July.
While neither brand has made an announcement with regards to a company-wide GMO labeling policy, Consumers Union recently spotted both a can of Pepsi in New Hampshire and a bag of Lay’s potato chips in New York, each labeled, “Partially produced with genetic engineering,” Consumerist reports.
A Frito-Lay representative told Consumers Union that this is just the beginning of GMO labeling for the company and that more products will be labeled in the coming months.
The rep also said that the “partially” in the label indicates that no more than 75 percent of the contents come from GMOs. GMO Free USA tested Frito-Lay’s Sun Chips in March of last year and found that they contain 100 percent GMO corn as well as residue of glyphosate, the herbicide companion to GMO crops marketed by Monsanto as Roundup.
If the company is keeping the labels quiet, it may be because Frito-Lay remains involved in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Vermont’s GMO labeling law. As a member of the Snack Food Association, Frito-Lay/PepsiCo is part of one of four trade groups that filed the lawsuit.
The state of Vermont is still attempting to get Frito-Lay to turn over the results of the company’s surveys on consumers’ attitudes with regards to the use of GMOs. The company refused to comply with the subpoena for this information, and Vermont filed a motion to compel the company to turn over the documents in April.
May 13, 2016
of Pepsi were recently found sporting the phrase “Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering.”
The Consumerist reports Pepsi, along with sister company Frito-Lay, plans to label products on a nationwide basis. The company says the “Partial” terminology can be used on any product that uses less than 75 percent of ingredients from GMO sources. Pepsi has quietly begun the GMO labeling as the company is part of a lawsuit against the Vermont labeling law. Pepsi and Frito-Law are members of trade groups which filed the lawsuit alleging the labeling requirement is unconstitutional. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the rule. In April 2015, the district court denied the trade groups’ request for an injunction and the industry appealed the ruling. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on the matter in October last year but has yet to issue a ruling.
The most recent company to voluntarily add GMO labeling to its packaging is PepsiCo. According to new reports, the Frito-Lay parent company has begun labeling certain products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from both the Pepsi and Frito-Lay lines, ostensibly before Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law goes into effect in July.
While neither brand has made an announcement with regards to a company-wide GMO labeling policy, Consumers Union recently spotted both a can of Pepsi in New Hampshire and a bag of Lay’s potato chips in New York, each labeled, “Partially produced with genetic engineering,” Consumerist reports.
A Frito-Lay representative told Consumers Union that this is just the beginning of GMO labeling for the company and that more products will be labeled in the coming months.
The rep also said that the “partially” in the label indicates that no more than 75 percent of the contents come from GMOs. GMO Free USA tested Frito-Lay’s Sun Chips in March of last year and found that they contain 100 percent GMO corn as well as residue of glyphosate, the herbicide companion to GMO crops marketed by Monsanto as Roundup.
If the company is keeping the labels quiet, it may be because Frito-Lay remains involved in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Vermont’s GMO labeling law. As a member of the Snack Food Association, Frito-Lay/PepsiCo is part of one of four trade groups that filed the lawsuit.
The state of Vermont is still attempting to get Frito-Lay to turn over the results of the company’s surveys on consumers’ attitudes with regards to the use of GMOs. The company refused to comply with the subpoena for this information, and Vermont filed a motion to compel the company to turn over the documents in April.
