Nearly 1,000 activists are targeting Kraft facilities and grocery stores this week in protest against the company’s use of biotech crops. Kraft maintains that the ingredients are safe but consumer concerns about the health effects are mounting. Kraft must address the concerns with positive measures in much the same way as it has responded to the ‘trans-fat battle’.

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Activists across the US are targeting grocery stores and Kraft facilities to protest against Kraft’s use of genetically engineered ingredients. Led by Genetically Engineered Food Alert, the protest will be carried out as a week-long demonstration in more than 250 US cities. Kraft is being targeted because it is the largest food company and because it has already removed genetically engineered ingredients from its European product portfolio.

Kraft claims that genetically engineered ingredients are not used in European products due to strong consumer concerns, which do not exist in the US. The company maintains that the ingredients are safe for consumers and it will continue to use them.

However, these protests are indicative of mounting consumer sentiment against genetically engineered crops in the US. Consumers are increasingly considering the possible risks such foods pose to public health, including allergic reactions.

Monsanto, the world’s biggest developer of genetically engineered crops, is planning to cut its workforce by almost 9%. And not all past protests have been peaceful; in San Francisco protestors resorted to the bombing of a biotech company and the destruction of crops.

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Listening to these dissenting voices will play a pivotal role in Kraft’s continued financial success. The current demonstrations represent the fourth week of demonstrations against Kraft in the last two years. Three years ago, Kraft had to recall its Taco Bell taco shells after tests confirmed that the shells were made with genetically engineered corn that was not approved for human consumption. Kraft has also been under attack for the wide presence of trans-fatty acids in its foods and the company responded by removing trans-fats from many popular items. Likewise, protestors against genetically engineered products will not settle for anything less than the elimination of biotech ingredients.

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