In the next two years, products sold under Danone's leading brands in the US will exclude genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from their supply chain, Mariano Lozano, chief executive of Danone's US subsidiary Dannon, said last week.

Lozano was speaking at the launch of new health products containing less fat and sugar. He said: "Natural for us means fewer ingredients that are closer to nature, cleaner labels, not synthetic and non GMO. Then looking not one or two but ten steps further than that, also we are going to use those three flagship brands, Dannon, Oikos and Dannimals that are going to come from cows that are fed non GMO feeds by the end of 2018.”

This is the second time in two weeks that major dairy processors in Ireland's export markets distance themselves from milk produced from GM feed in answer to consumer demand.

Last month, Arla Foods annnounced that it would pay extra for GM-free milk to supply retailers in Germany.