Ben & Jerry’s to Remove all GMO Ingredients by the End of The Year

Ben & Jerry’s just agreed to remove all genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from its list of ingredients by the end of the year.

This is a huge shift for the company — just earlier this year, its corporate parent, Unilever, made headlines by contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the fight against GMO labeling. Now Ben & Jerry’s is doing an about-face and fighting against the likes of Monsanto to label GMO products and use natural ingredients instead.

As a more radical brand of a much large food corporation, Ben & Jerry’s can help drive the debate over GMOs in a big way. If Unilever and other companies see an outpouring of support for Ben & Jerry’s over this issue, it will help push more brands to change, and put power behind the movement for real food.

Thank Ben & Jerry’s for its pledge to remove GMOs from its list of ingredients.

This isn’t an easy decision for Ben & Jerry’s — it will require an overhaul of over 200 products. Ben & Jerry’s needs to know that this is the right move, and that support from its customers will make this transition worth it.

Ben & Jerry’s has a legacy of supporting consumer health. A decade ago it championed labeling laws for products from cows treated with a genetically-engineered growth hormone. Now it wants all GMO products to be labeled. Since being purchased by Unilever, the company has had more pressure to abandon its activist ways, but by showing its bosses that there are real benefits to fighting for consumer health, we can give the ice cream brand a powerful reason to stick by its activist, eco-conscious tradition.

By acknowledging that step and thanking them for it, we’ll not only help them keep their promise — we’ll encourage other companies to follow suit. And with Monsanto fighting GMO labeling every step of the way, we need high-profile companies like Ben & Jerry’s to stand for small farmers, consumer rights, and a safe ecosystem more than ever.