Dannon said it is joining an effort in the U.S. to label food products made with genetically modified organisms, and it unveiled new yogurts featuring non-GMO ingredients.

The U.S. unit of French dairy giant Danone SA is making the change as legislation requiring food makers to label such ingredients makes its way through Congress. The Senate approved the bill last week.

The move also comes as consumer preferences have moved toward foods that are perceived as being healthier.

Dannon said the move marks the start of a transformation of three of its U.S. yogurt brands. As part of the plan, Dannon also will aim to ensure that milk for its flagship brands will be sourced from cows fed with non-GMO feed. The effort, set to span next year, is expected to include feed suppliers and farmers and involve the conversion of roughly 80,000 acres of farmland for non-GMO crops.

If the federal bill passes, it would give companies the choice of labeling the existence of GMOs through different ways, including the use of a digital QR code that would provide consumers with information about a product online through the use of a smartphone.

While farm associations and food and beverage companies have praised the legislation, environmental groups and other critics have argued it doesn't go far enough.

GMOs include crops whose genes have been engineered to make them resistant to pests, able to withstand herbicides, and otherwise hardier. Federal regulators have approved the GMO seeds on the market. Critics say they can hurt the environment and rely on herbicides that could harm consumers.

Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com