On Friday Whole Foods announced it would begin requiring labeling of all genetically modified foods sold in its stores, making it the first retail store in the United States to do so.
According to The New York Times A. C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, said the new labeling requirement would probably take five years to go into effect. Products containing GMOs are already labeled in Whole Foods' Great Britain stores, since GMO labeling is required in the European Union.
This decision has huge ramifications for proponents of GMO labeling, and it has intensified the debate over genetically modified ingredients. Proponents of labeling point to a few studies done in rats that say bioengineered food can be harmful, and contend that consumers have a right to know about the ingredients in the food they eat. (It should be noted that some scientists questioned the study's findings and methodology.) Those against labeling say that there are no strong scientific findings (see above) showing that genetically modified foods caused health or safety issues, and thus labeling was unnecessary and a form of fear-mongering.
Public opinion is strongly in favor of GMO labeling, as a 2012 election poll showed. According to the Times, more than 90 percent of respondents said they were in favor of labeling genetically modified foods, with 93 percent of Democrats and 89 percent of Republicans voting for it.
Read More: Major Grocer To Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content | The New York Times
Related: Survey Shows Strong Support For GMO Labeling
Image: Joanna Miller
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This is fantastic! Props to Whole Foods for this. I know a lot of people believe that the prices at Whole Foods are too high but I for one wouldn't want to shop anywhere else. The importance of knowing what is going into my body is crucial for my life. The sheer idea of GMO's being used in our foods or even being produced is outrageous! Thank you Whole Foods!
Yay! Hopefully they'll set the precedent for more stores :-)
I'm so glad this has been getting attention. What they're doing to our crops is terrifying.
That's kind of a misleading headline. They aren't committing to GMO labeling until 2018. That's a long time to wait.
It may be a long time to wait BUT Whole Foods already has most of their brands - the 365 label - made without GMO products. They also are committed to posting labels in their store NOW that show you which products on their shelves are part of the non GMO verified project. That alone makes it so much easier to know what you are purchasing as compared to as if you shop in other stores that don't have these labels. It may be a long time - 2018 - BUT at least they are on the right track and are doing something that ALL grocery stores should be doing.
Yeah, it kind of sucks that it's going to take them 5 years, but they have to allow their producers time to comply. Thank god they are doing it. It's all scary, and really, if proponents of GMO's want to claim their not bad for us, they should be proud to label their product. The fact that they don't want people to know what their consuming is scary enough as it is, much less all of the potential health and environmental impacts.
*they're
Ah the need for instant gratification. In the meantime, since some of us are not fortunate enough to have a Whole Foods within spitting distance, do your research before you go to your local megamart for purchase of your consumables? This is great that this is happening. But with most great things, it takes time, yes years, to get into working order. A lot of this is bureaucratic finagling. Whole Foods might want to make this their policy, but they are going to have to convince a good number of their food providers to want to do this as well, and some of them just don't want to do that. And the ones that do want to do it, will need time to accumulate the resources in order to get it done. As unfortunate as it may seem to us, you can't go BOOM! and put a GMO sticker on your can of corn. They want to make this label look discouraging or appealing to the consumer, they have to find out how to put it on a box or can label. Enter research and development for something as inconsequential as an addition to a label.
Whole Foods probably released this tid bit because their customer base kept demanding it. So they are going to make it so, after at least estimating what this course of action will cost them. Now they have to go through the steps to get it into practice. Whole Foods is still a business and like all businesses profit is the final goal. They of course want to maintain their customer base so they can continue to make a profit, but they have to make sure the resources are available and that their products aren't going to leave them as well as guess how this will pan out to their average consumer base.
It's just going to take time to get it all coordinated.
At least the news might prompt other small markets to label and more products to advertise if they're non-GMO. Aside from the risks (even the most pro-GMO groups mention allergies as a possible consequence) the foods should also be avoided because Monsanto are such a bunch of greedy hounds hell bent on killing small farms and keeping people from growing their own food at home. Monsanto is a Big Brother scenario if I ever saw one.
**Meant to mention - while we're waiting for the labels I think this is a good time for people to learn self sufficiency, what if the grid finally croaks and the supermarkets are closed indefinitely? You can grow from seed but also realize the natural world especially forests have everything you need. Food, medicine, breath freshener, painkillers, utensils and more. The more we learn a foraging culture the better. And Kitchn no less has some great DIY recipes for all that junk we don't need to buy at the supermarket.
I've studied GMO foods for years, and I'm still on the fence about a lot of the attendant issues. And whatever your thoughts on it, it's important to acknowledge that a lot of the anti-GMO science is just TERRIBLE.
Great!
I'll be sure to pick GMO foods, as cheaper, and more environmentally friendly (requiring less pesticides and herbicides). If they are unpopular, maybe they will get cheaper still, which would be added bonus for me.