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(Image source: The Ice Cream Informant)
BY JASMINE BAILEY
You know those bad days — or good ones — when you pull out that brand new pint of Ben & Jerry's
ice cream and finish every last bite? Well now you won't have to feel as bad.
The ice cream company recently announced it will phase out genetically modified organisms,
or GMOs, from its products by mid-2014. Currently about 80 percent of Ben & Jerry's ice cream
is already GMO-free. (Via Vimeo / Ben & Jerry's)
"This is the right thing to do... We'll complete this conversion without having to raise the
cost of the pint of ice cream or fundamentally impact the margins on the product." (Via
NECN)
So what is GMO? Well actually, many foods Americans eat contain it. They are basically
ingredients from a crop that has been genetically modified to boost yields for farmers or efficiency
for food producers.
Many times GMOs are resistant to herbicides and or produce an insecticide. There is a
growing debate on the safety of consuming GMOs. (Via NON GMO Project)
"Critics say the chemicals could be harmful to the environment and lead to health problems."
(Via KSTU)
And many states around the country are working to pass legislation that would require food
containing a GMO ingredient be labeled. (Via Right to Know)
In a statement Ben & Jerry's says it agrees with the non-GMO movement to require labeling.
Saying "We ought to all have freedom to choose whether or not we want to eat food that has
been genetically engineered. We think this is a fundamental right." But the company isn't
just going GMO-free for that reason. It also says, "...we're concerned that increasing
GMO crops comes at the expense of smaller farms, which we believe is a more sustainable
kind of farming."
Currently 40 countries around the world require mandatory labeling of GMO foods.