For food activists like Dave Murphy, founder of Food Democracy Now, the news that Cheerios changed its recipe and will no longer contain any genetically modified ingredients couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

"It's a really big move for a company like General Mills," Murphy said. "It's a huge victory for consumers."

General Mills announced the change to America's best-known breakfast cereal this month, just as the political battle over genetically modified foods heats up on the national stage.

The titans of the food industry, General Mills included, have long and successfully opposed efforts in Congress to require mandatory labeling of genetically altered foods.

But instead of letting those proposals die quietly, the Grocery Manufacturers Association is moving assertively to push