Aiming to make customers more conscious of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Whole Foods says it will label every food containing GMOs by 2018. It is the first American grocery chain to set a firm deadline for such labeling.
What To Label And Why
According the Non-GMO Project, GMOs are "plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology." Though proponents point to GMOs high productivity and nutritional content, detractors worry that engineering may result in unintended health and environmental consequences.
It is estimated that in America 80 percent of commercially processed foods have some genetically modified content. While many nations of the world require labeling, including many European Union nations, the U.S. currently does not.
A Building Movement
Whole Foods' announcement comes in the wake of the November defeat of California's Proposition 37 -- an initiative aimed at requiring all genetically altered foods sold in the state to be labeled. Defeated 54 percent to 56 percent, Proposition 37 fell in part due to the a last-minute campaign waged by companies like Dupont and Kraft.
The next such referendum is Washington's "The People's Right To Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," which is to be voted on in 2013.
Read More:
- Genetically Engineered Foods (Whole Foods' Market)
- Whole Foods' Business Case for GMO Labeling (Businessweek)
- Election aftermath: Proposition 37 and the food movement (LA Times)
- Label GMO Foods (Label It Wa)
