General Mills shareholders rejected a resolution Tuesday that would have forced removal of genetically-modified organisms from the company’s products. The proposal, submitted by a descendant of one of General Mills’ founders, called for the company to remove genetically engineered ingredients from products sold or manufactured by the company, according to a news release from the National Center for Public Policy Research. The resolution was supported with a claim that genetic engineering involves significant risks to the environment, food security, and public health.
General Mills CEO Ken Powell said the company stands by research that shows GMOs are safe. He affirmed that the company would keep GM ingredients in its remaining Cheerios cereals. The company announced earlier that its original Cheerios cereal would be produced without GMOs.
The National Center for Public Policy Research issued a news release Monday urging rejection of the proposal. That group’s spokesman, Justin Danhof said the vote “shows that fact-based scientific consensus can trump emotional appeals that are not tethered to science or reason.”
A tally of the preliminary vote at the meeting showed that more than 97 percent of General Mills shareholders voted against the proposal.