Whole Foods Market Inc. has committed to labeling all the products it sells in its supermarkets in Canada and the United States by 2018, indicating whether each item has been genetically modified. In Whole Foods’s co-CEO’s words: “We are putting a stake in the ground on GMO labeling to support the consumer’s right to know”.
This concept of awareness is one of the pillars on which Whole Foods is built, supporting informed shopping and consumer choice. The company is even part of the Non-GMO Project, which ensures that food is produced avoiding GMOs and then certifies it with a special seal. With this proposal, Whole Foods becomes the first grocery store in the United States to set a deadline for GMO labeling.
Genetically Modified Organisms: What Is at Stake
Genetically modified organisms are those which have been manipulated to purposefully change their DNA structure. They were originally intended to make food more nutritious and longer lasting, and crops which are more resistant to extreme weather conditions, specific herbicides and insecticides.
The main issue with GMOs is the lack of information about their consequences or existence. Last November, a mandatory labeling initiative called Prop 37 was introduced in California, but it was ultimately defeated. One of the main factors against it is that such a piece of legislation would probably damage various corporations’ reputations and business. Many say it is the power and money of corporations like Monsanto and PepsiCo which have prevented such legislation to be approved in the past, especially given that most Americans want the GMO’s labeled, as shows recent polls.
It is for this reason that measures like the one Whole Foods is adopting can help raise awareness and help the issue be discussed among a higher number of people.
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