Whole Foods commits to full GMO transparency
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,084
This is very cool. Whole Foods is a fairly big chain out west and their willingness to require food labeling should have some far reaching effects. Glad to hear about this!
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/08/524705 ... k=misearch
Whole Foods Market announced today at Natural Products Expo West that, by 2018, all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate whether they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It is the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency.
"We are putting a stake in the ground on GMO labeling to support the consumer's right to know," said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. "The prevalence of GMOs in the U.S. paired with nonexistent mandatory labeling makes it very difficult to select non-GMO products. We are increasing our support of organic, and we are working with our supplier partners to grow our non-GMO supply chain to ensure we can continue to provide these choices in the future."
Whole Foods Market now has 3,300 Non-GMO Project verified products, more than any North American retailer. In 2009, it began putting its 365 Everyday Value™ line through Non-GMO Project™ verification and encouraged its grocery suppliers to do the same. It is expanding this effort to work with all suppliers as they transition to ingredients from non-GMO sources, or clearly label products containing GMOs by the five-year deadline. The company will announce its progress along the way.
"We're responding to our customers who have consistently asked us for GMO labeling and we are doing so by focusing on where we have control: in our own stores," said Robb.
GMOs are now part of an ongoing national conversation, thanks to efforts of various advocacy groups and to U.S. states considering their own labeling laws. Robb added, "While we are encouraged by the many mandatory labeling initiatives, we are committed to moving forward with our own GMO transparency plan now."
"We have always believed quality and transparency are inseparable and that providing detailed information about our products is part of satisfying and delighting the millions of people who place their trust in Whole Foods Market each day," said A.C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods Market. "This bold task will encourage manufacturers to ask deeper questions about ingredients and it will help us provide greater transparency about what we sell, so our customers can be empowered to make informed decisions."
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/08/524705 ... k=misearch
Whole Foods Market announced today at Natural Products Expo West that, by 2018, all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate whether they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It is the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency.
"We are putting a stake in the ground on GMO labeling to support the consumer's right to know," said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. "The prevalence of GMOs in the U.S. paired with nonexistent mandatory labeling makes it very difficult to select non-GMO products. We are increasing our support of organic, and we are working with our supplier partners to grow our non-GMO supply chain to ensure we can continue to provide these choices in the future."
Whole Foods Market now has 3,300 Non-GMO Project verified products, more than any North American retailer. In 2009, it began putting its 365 Everyday Value™ line through Non-GMO Project™ verification and encouraged its grocery suppliers to do the same. It is expanding this effort to work with all suppliers as they transition to ingredients from non-GMO sources, or clearly label products containing GMOs by the five-year deadline. The company will announce its progress along the way.
"We're responding to our customers who have consistently asked us for GMO labeling and we are doing so by focusing on where we have control: in our own stores," said Robb.
GMOs are now part of an ongoing national conversation, thanks to efforts of various advocacy groups and to U.S. states considering their own labeling laws. Robb added, "While we are encouraged by the many mandatory labeling initiatives, we are committed to moving forward with our own GMO transparency plan now."
"We have always believed quality and transparency are inseparable and that providing detailed information about our products is part of satisfying and delighting the millions of people who place their trust in Whole Foods Market each day," said A.C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods Market. "This bold task will encourage manufacturers to ask deeper questions about ingredients and it will help us provide greater transparency about what we sell, so our customers can be empowered to make informed decisions."
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I'm also looking forward to our Farmer's Market starting up again. That's where I can get the most affordable organic local produce- real food where no label in necessary- and of course the growers know what goes into their food!
Yeah, I can't wait til the Farmer's market opens up here again. The best food is local!
personally - i say shop at your local co-op if you can and farmers markets ...
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned...
I AM MINE
Yes, thank you for mentioning local food co-ops as well!
Where I live local produce markets are hard to find that have consistent quality :(
Funny while grocery shopping yesterday noticed how I rarely go down the isles. :thumbup:
I haven't though looked into how bad GMO foods are to either myself or the environment.
Check out this article that details some of the potential problems that result from the use of GMO's http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/04/watch-out-there-are-more-problems-with-genetically-modified-foods-than-youre-allowed-to-know.aspx
I would venture to say most Americans never read the labels of the food they buy and therefore have no idea of the mostly non-food ingredients that they put in their mouths. My opinion? I think we all have genetic predispositions for certain types of diseases - cancer, autoimmune disorders, autism, etc and the foods and environmental toxins that we are exposed to trigger these diseases and disorders. The government and the food companies, especially corporations like Monsanto, deliberately mislead us and obscure our knowledge to keep us in the dark. And just as bad we have people, like Bill Gates, that keep telling us that the only way to feed the world is through the use of GMO's which is untrue. Check out this article that disputes the notion of the need to go vegan or continue using CAFO's to feed the world.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/can-we-feed-the-world-on-the-primal-blueprint-diet-part-2/#axzz2NLl2v7hh
The likes of Monsanto have convinced us of the need for a flawed food system that really only benefits these companies and governmental agencies like the FDA.
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned...
I AM MINE
"Det. Thorn: I know, Sol, you've told me a hundred times before. People were better, the world was better...
Sol: Ah, people were always lousy... But there was a world, once.
[Thorn chuckles]
Sol: I was there, I can prove it! When I was a kid, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Not this... crap!
Det. Thorn: It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of people. Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!
Hatcher: I promise, Tiger. I promise. I'll tell the exchange.
Det. Thorn: You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You've gotta tell them! Soylent Green is people! We've gotta stop them somehow! "
Do you eat at restaurants?
What does this have to do with the topic?
It's cheaper to do all of your grocery shopping at Whole Foods over eating out. I do not eat at restaurants anymore, or very rarely. I've found cooking my own meals that I know what's in it more healthy and cheaper than eating out. So it has to do with the topic (WF) and your post.
Yet... compared to other organic stores, it's the most expensive.
Then I would go anyway.
ghee is very easy to make ... it's pretty much simmer and strain through cheese cloth ...
oh yeah ... for sure ... something don't necessarily make economic sense to make ... only suggested because you couldn't find the stuff ...