As genetically modified foods continue to be a topic of debate, Cheerios has taken a step toward making its ingredients GMO-free.
General Mills said Thursday that it has been making original flavor Cheerios without genetically modified ingredients for the past several weeks, The Associated Press reported.
While the change doesn't apply to other flavors such as Apple Cinnamon or Multi-Grain, boxes with original Cheerios will soon be labeled "Not Made with Genetically Modified Ingredients."
The original flavor was the easiest to change since there are no genetically modified oats, according to company spokesman Mike Siemienas.
"We were able to do this with original Cheerios because the main ingredients are oats," he told the AP, adding that the company is switching cornstarch and sugar to free the original flavor cereal of GMOs.
Siemienas said that other Cheerios flavors would be trickier to manufacture without using GMOs since they include such ingredients as corn.
As of two years ago, nearly all corn grown in the United States has some genetic modification depending on the state in which it's grown, according to the USDA Economic Research Service.
Officials from the Minneapolis-based company have noted that the label is not an official certification and some trace amounts of genetically modified ingredients could be present due to the manufacturing process.
The company hasn't specified exactly when the GMO-free Cheerios will be available in stores.
Todd Larsen, Green America's corporate responsibility director, called General Mills' decision a victory.
The move away from genetically modified ingredients is "an important victory in getting GMOs out of our food supply and an important first step for General Mills," Larsen said in a statement.
According to the AP, Green America recently started a campaign called GMO Inside, an initiative that demanded General Mills make Cheerios GMO-free and inspired people to post a flood of comments on the Cheerios Facebook page.
"There is broad consensus that food containing GMOs is safe, but we decided to move forward with this in response to consumer demand," Siemienas was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
Genetically modified foods continue to be controversial and have been banned in several European countries.
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