May 1/00 / PRNewswire
ST. LOUIS -- The National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) applauds a decision by Kellogg Co. shareholders on Friday directing
the company to continue using biotech crops in its food products. A company
spokesman said the vote was 97 percent against a proposal to force the
cereal
maker to stop using biotech crops in the United States.
"Biotech commodities have passed stringent federal regulatory processes,
and U.S. farmers are committed to producing the safest and most abundant
food supply in the world," said NCGA President Lynn Jensen, a farmer from
Lake Preston, S.D.
According to an Associated Press (AP) report released late Friday, Kellogg
is in the process of removing biotech ingredients from its products in
Europe
and Australia in response to consumer trends. However, the company has no
intention of doing the same in the United States.
"We interpret this as a sign that there is a market in the United States for biotech crops," said Jensen.
In the Company FAQ section of the Kellogg web site, www.kellog.com ,
Kellogg answers the question, "Do you use GMO (biotech) grains in any
Kellogg products in the United States?" as follows:
"In the United States, Kellogg uses only grains approved by the United
States government for food manufacturing, and our on-package labeling for
these grains is in compliance with current U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) requirements. The products we sell in the U.S. market are made with
grains from a number of suppliers, so our supply includes biotechnology
produced grains in the same proportion that they occur in the U.S. grain
supply."
The company also notes that Kellogg products offered around the world
comply with food labeling requirements of the markets in which they are
sold.
"The ingredients used to create our foods are, likewise, approved by the
appropriate regulatory authorities in which they are sold."
"This statement underscores the confidence farmers and the American public
in general have for our strict regulatory process in the United States," NCGA's Jensen added. "Kellogg and its shareholders are responding to what consumers want -- not what special interests want."
Through its "Know Before You Grow" program, the NCGA offers growers the tools to make informed decisions when they plant and market their grain.
(posted without permission)
