On Friday April 26th, at Abbott Laboratories annual meeting in Abbott Park, Illinois investors will vote on a resolution, filed by the shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, that asks the company to adopt a policy of removing genetically engineered crops (GMOs) from all nutritional products including Similac infant formula, until long-term safety testing has shown that they are not harmful to humans, with the interim step of labeling these products that may contain these ingredients.

You too can join the call to remove GMOs from Similac here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/465/876/608/

“Removing GMOs from nutritional products and infant formula in a timely manner has only upside for Abbott,” says Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, the shareholder advocacy group that filed the resolution. He added, “There are recent critical advances in science and public opinion on this issue and we believe that this is an opportunity for Abbott to lead on this important issue.”

The use of GMOs in food has a long and contentious history, but new scientific studies and independent polls show that a change is overdue in the United States. Over 60 countries including the entire European Union, Australia, China, Japan, India and Russia require GMO labeling, and several of the US states have passed or proposed similar labeling laws. Vermont is poised to be the first state to mandate GMO labeling after the passage of a labeling bill. And the Connecticut GMO labeling law for baby foods is out of committee after a 11-1 House vote in support of labeling. The recent labeling initiative in CA only narrowly lost with a 48.6% vote despite more than $46 million spent by industry to defeat it. The New York Times recently reported that 20 major companies including Walmart met in DC to lobby the FDA for a federal GMO labeling law in order to avoid states making their own and different labeling laws.

In addition, after years of companies pointing to inconclusive short-term studies, researchers have started to look at the impact of GMOs over the entire lifespan of laboratory animals. The results, published in late 2012 in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, titled, Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize shows that 70% of lab rats eating GMO corn over their two year lifespan die at a younger age from organ failure and tumors when compared to a control group eating non-GMO corn.

That's seriously alarming! Which is why As You Sow has also launched a petition to Similac.

Consumer preference is also shifting as evidenced by the announcement by Whole Foods in March, 2013 that it would begin labeling all food in its stores for GMOs in the next 5 years. Also a Mellman research poll showed 91% of citizens want GMOs to be labeled, “with no meaningful statistical difference between men and women, Republicans and Democrats, urban and rural communities, education level or any demographic.” In the last 11 months more than 75,000 people have signed a petition asking Abbott to remove GMOs from their infant formula. The exponential growth of organic food sales over the last decade also highlights consumer concern about safety and that consumers are willing to support these choices with their purchasing dollars.

For all of these reasons a strong vote is expected for shareholder resolution #4 on the Abbott proxy ballot to encourage Abbott to get ahead of regulatory risk, improve its brand reputation and association with health and caring for their customers, and fulfill their slogan – a promise for life.

For more information and to take action visit - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/465/876/608/