The top U.S. farm organizations joined together to urge food companies to evaluate their sustainability goals.
The groups sent a letter to Mariano Lozana, head of Dannon’s U.S. operations, in response to their announcement to eliminate genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from its yogurt products.
Dannon is one of several food companies that has taken steps to eliminate genetically modified ingredients from its products as part of improving sustainability, according to DTN/The Progressive Farmer.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is among the groups that wrote the letter in defense of modern agriculture. The letter urges food companies to recognize their sustainability goals cannot be achieved without the use of modern agricultural practices.
“This is just marketing puffery, not any true innovation that improves the actual product offered to consumers,” Randy Mooney, chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation, said in a news release. “What’s worse is that removing GMOs from the equation is harmful to the environment—the opposite of what these companies claim to be attempting to achieve.”
The other farm groups that cosigned the letter urging food companies to recognize biotechnology as sustainable were the American Soybean Association, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.
Dannon’s strategy to eliminate GMOs “is the exact opposite of the sustainable agriculture that you claim to be seeking,” the groups said in the letter. “Your pledge would force farmers to abandon safe, sustainable farming practices that have enhanced farm productivity over the last 20 years while greatly reducing the carbon footprint of American agriculture.”
This summer, Dannon launched what it calls the “Dannon Pledge” that includes labeling products with GMOs and offering GMO-free products. They have also ensured that dairy producers supplying milk to its operations for some flagship brands only feed their cows non-GMO feed.
The groups argue that Dannon’s anti-GMO campaign is “marketing flimflam” and “an attempt to gain lost sales from your competitors by using fear-based marketing and trendy buzzwords.” The campaign does not offer actual improvement in their products.
Dannon issued a response disputing the groups’ accusations as misinformed.
“We were surprised to receive a divisive and misinformed letter about our efforts to continue to grow Americans’ enjoyment of dairy products, including yogurt,” Dannon said in a statement. “Unlike any other large dairy processors, we have built direct and transparent relationships with our independent American dairy farmer partners.”
Over the last 20 years, numerous conclusive studies have proved the safety of GMO food and the environmental benefits of growing GM crops.
“Despite overwhelming evidence supporting the safety of GMO crops and their benefits to the environment, marketers of some major food brands, such as Dannon, have aligned themselves against biotechnology,” Wesley Spurlock, president of the National Corn Growers Association said in a news release. “Farming organizations believe in open and honest communication with consumers, and allowing people to make informed choices in the market. But we cannot sit by while certain food companies spread misinformation under the guise of a marketing campaign.”