A report published by the Soil Association suggests that American consumers are turning against genetically modified food.

The Soil Association report implies that the GM industry has kept back the truth from US consumers about the food they have been eating for more than a decade, by lobbying the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state governments to guarantee that foods are not legally required to be labelled as genetically modified.

The Soil Association claims there is evidence that US plant breeders are rejecting GM technology in favour of more reliable and effective breeding methods, such as marker-assisted selection. US farmers and regulatory authorities have joined forces with US citizens, said the Soil Association.

A Non-GMO project is to be launched in 2009, according to the report. This verification scheme will provide consumers with a recognisable non-GMO label on products, will be managed by a group of the biggest companies in the US natural and organic industry.

The Soil Association reported that GM products from the US are also failing to make headway in European markets, aside from the UK. The body said: “Major European farming countries such as the previously pro-GM French and German governments are less than keen, and more than 175 regions and over 4,500 municipalities and local areas in Europe have declared themselves GMO-free.”