Did Cargill ruin its reputation with scientists, farmers with one #NonGMO tweet?

Screen Shot at PM

[Read the GLP profile of the Non-GMO project here.]

Reputations are a funny thing. It takes years to build them but mere seconds to destroy them.

Cargill, a company that provides all manner of agricultural products and services, has managed to ruin its reputation with farmers and science writers in a single tweet. On March 17, the company announced its partnership with the thoroughly wretched Non-GMO Project*, an anti-biotech organization that sticks a goofy “non-GMO verified” label on everything from water to kitty litter.

Here’s the tweet:

cargill

And the floodgates swung open wide. The backlash was swift, brutal, and effective.

cargill

cargill

cargill

cargill

cargill cargill cargill

In full-blown damage control, the company’s Twitter page has been rather busy. It rushed out a statement that said that the company didn’t agree with what the Non-GMO Project stands for, but partnered with them anyway because consumers wanted it. In other words, they admitted that it was about money, not science.

That didn’t go over well.

Screen Shot at PM

Time will tell if insulting some of their biggest customers and business partners is a sound strategy for Cargill.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: How Cargill Ruined Its Reputation In A Single Tweet

For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
screenshot at  pm

Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.