Cheerios Ropes a Dope

In the parlance of the boxing ring, it seemed that General Mills had instructed its iconic Cheerios brand to take a dive when it announced last week the cereal would no longer include genetically engineered ingredients. Was the breakfast maker capitulating to the ill-begotten arguments of food safety advocates that crops with seed DNA modification present a danger to consumers? The FDA and most scientists in the field (along with ballot results  in several states where legislation to label GMO foods has been voted down consistently) gave no cause for General Mills to take this step. But General Mills saw an opportunity. The food giant more or less said, paraphrasing an underworld crisis management term, "Don't take it scientifically, it's just business."

Indeed, it may be a stroke of marketing genius. Grocery outlets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are promoting non-GE (or GMO) products. That will eventually create upscale demand. And higher prices.

But will consumer watchdogs interpret General Mills' move as a victory for their pro-labeling side? You bet. Does it imply maybe something is harmful in bioengineered foods after all? No, not even close. But it will open the discussion to further interpretation and manipulation, and once again traditional, natural and laboratory science will likely take a back seat to political science.

Recommend commentary on the subject: Karin Klein's excellent article, Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2014.