March 11, 2013 – I was awfully glad to hear that Whole Foods
intends to require labeling of all the foods, fresh or processed, sold in their
stores that contain GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). Their patience in allowing vendors five years
to get labeling underway is nonsensical; this must be the spoonful of sugar
that helps the medicine go down. The
importance of their new policy can’t be overstated, though: consumers will
gradually come to accept the provision of this information as normal. In so doing, some will take the additional
step of finding out why eating GMO’s could be problematic. Some
will find out that the research to which the FDA repeatedly refers, when it
claims foods containing GMO’s present no threat to human health, was performed
by the companies that developed and sell the GMO seed! The education of the masses is, at last, off
to a late, hesitant start.
Organic foods will not require GMO labeling since they may not,
by definition, contain them. According
to the National Academies of Sciences, four-fifths of the corn and soybeans
grown in this country are grown from GE (genetically engineered = genetically
modified) seed. The same is true of
cotton, the most pesticide-intensive crop grown anywhere in the world. Monsanto, Syngenta, et. al., claim that
mandatory labeling will only confuse customers. Makers of GE seed have gone to great lengths
to defeat mandatory labeling laws wherever they have been proposed. Thus far this year, the following states ‘
General Assemblies are considering bills that either require labeling, or
prohibit the sale of genetically engineered foods: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Missouri,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and
Washington.
The self-serving efforts of GMO makers notwithstanding, the
growing demand for non-GMO (NGMO) products has been made evident in two
separate ways – first, by consumers who have voiced their desire for increased
access to such products, and second, by the 15 – 30% growth in sales of these
products. NGMO products are identified
by a “Non-GMO” verification label.
According to A.C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, NGMO products are
actually more expensive to produce than products containing GMO’s, due to the
short supply of ingredients. As market
demand for NGMO products continues upward, prices should come down. Mellman Research has shown that 92 percent of
American consumers want to know whether or not the food they consume contains
GMO’s.
If you’re like me, you’ll want to know - How can I help move
events in the direction of getting all food products with GMO’s labeled? I think one way to let the big food companies
know about your interest is to call them.
Ask them which of their products contain GMO’s, then tell them you want
their products labeled to that effect.
Here are some phone numbers to help you get started:
General Mills 1-800-248-7310
Kelloggs 1-800-962-1413
Kraft Foods 1-877-535-5666
Nabisco 1-855-535-5648
Pepsico 1-800-352-4477
Have I missed a particular “favorite” of yours? Look them up online, then give them a
call. Let’s give Whole Foods a hand.
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