MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - Over 230,000 people signed a petition urging Cola-Cola to stop funding anti-GMO campaign on a change.org website that provides a free petition tool for 65 million users.
Just 65,000 signatures more are needed in order for the petition to be considred.
The Nation of Change reported earlier on Wednesday that Americans were set to boycott Coca-Cola products after the public became aware that the company spent millios to defeat Washington and California initiatives that mandated clear labelling of GMO ingredients on food packages.
Except for Coca-Cola, eight other American food companies opposed the initiative: Kellogg’s, General Mills, Dean Foods, Smucker’s, Safeway, Kraft, Cion-Agra, and PepsiCo.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Labeling Ballot Initiative (I-522) in Washington and Proposition 37 in California were first defeated by the Monsanto American corporation, which is a leading producer of genetically engineered seed and of the herbicide glyphosate. Monsanto spent over $11 million to defeat GMO labelling.
Labelling of food containing genetically modified organisms is required by law in Europe.
The Coca-Cola Company, founded in 1886, is an American multinational corporation, which produces and retails nonalcoholic beverages. The company distributes its refreshments all over the world. Its annual revenue amounted to $46,8 billion in 2013.
The Coca-Cola Company has often been criticized on a number of environmental issues.
In Australia, the Coca-Cola's plastic packaging was found in the digestive systems of countless dead Australian birds, fish and other wildlife.
In the United States, regional farmers argued that they experienced water shortages as Cola-Cola overused water supplies in some locations.
In 2003, Indian Centre for Science and Environment announced that it has found chemicals causing cancer in Coca-Cola beverages, a claim that the company rejected.
