A coalition of U.S. consumer and enviro groups kicked off a big campaign yesterday to pressure major food companies to abandon the use of genetically modified (GM) crops. Its first targets will be the Campbell Soup Co. and Kellogg’s. The activists hope to encourage tens of thousands of consumers to call directly on companies to end the use of GM foods in their products, or at the very least label products that contain GM ingredients. They argue that some companies have begun to eliminate GM ingredients in foods they sell in Europe but refuse to do so in the U.S. The campaign is also aimed at raising public concern before the September release of new Clinton administration rules on genetic engineering, which activists say are likely to be far too weak. The coalition could spend $1 million or more, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the $50 million that a group of biotech companies have committed to spend over the coming years to tout biotechnology.
