20
Mar
Consumers Pressure Walmart to Reject GE Sweet Corn
(Beyond Pesticides, March 20, 2012) Several environmental groups have collected nearly half a million petition signatures as part of a campaign to pressure Walmart to not stock a variety of genetically engineered (GE) sweet corn developed by St. Louis-based chemical giant Monsanto Company. The groups, including the Center for Food Safety, Food and Water Watch, Center for Environmental Health, CREDO Action, SumOfUs, and Corporate Accountability International, collected 463,681 signatures in total from concerned consumers who do not want to see GE vegetables on supermarket shelves. 
The GE sweet corn is the first consumer product developed by Monsanto that will go straight from the farm to the consumer’s plate, rather than first being processed into animal feed, sugars, oils, fibers and other ingredients found in a wide variety of conventional food. It is engineered to be resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, the active ingredient of which is glyphosate. The product is also designed to produce a Bt toxin that will kill insects that feed on the plant. There has been growing concern over the increasing prevalence of insect resistance to Bt crops. Just last week, a group of prominent entomologists sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urging caution in the agency’s approach to Bt crops.
“Walmart is starting to feel the heat from consumers who don’t want this unlabeled GE corn in their grocery carts, so they are releasing public statements and telling customers that they have no current plans to carry the biotech corn,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “But until the retail giant sends a clear message to its supply chain that it will not buy this GE sweet corn, consumers have no way of knowing whether or not Walmart’s corn is GE free, and those of us who prefer to avoid GE food ””including the half-million people who signed this petition”” will purchase our groceries elsewhere.”
Public opinion polls conducted by Consumer Reports and others show that a majority of consumers surveyed would not eat genetically modified food and nearly all ””95 percent”” are insistent that GE food must be labeled, at a minimum, so they can make informed choices. As the country’s largest grocery retailer, Walmart sells $129 billion worth of food a year, giving it unmatched power in shaping the food supply chain. If Walmart refuses to stock Monsanto’s GE sweet corn, other retailers will likely follow suit and farmers won’t feel the economic pressure to plant the biotech seeds. To date, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market have indicated they will not sell the GE corn.
“Grocery companies are the last link in the chain before this corn reaches consumers and they have a financial incentive to keep this unlabeled GE sweet corn off their shelves because their customers won’t buy it,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of The Center for Food Safety. “Two major retailers have already said they will not use Monsanto’s new corn. If they can do it, so can Walmart.”
“Walmart has been getting an earful from hundreds of thousands of Americans who don’t want risky genetic corn experiments,” said Charles Margulis, food program coordinator at the Center for Environmental Health. “This untested, unlabeled corn has no place on Walmart shelves. We expect swift action by the world’s largest retailer to protect their consumers’ right to safe food choices.”
For more information on the hazards GE crops and the pesticides associated with them, see Beyond Pesticides’ genetic engineering page.
Genetically engineered crops, insect resistance to pesticides, and consumer solutions are all topics that will be discussed at the upcoming 30th National Pesticide Forum at Yale University in New Haven, CT March 30-31. To register and learn more, visit Beyond Pesticides’ forum page.
Source: Center for Food Safety
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Has there been any follow up from Wal-Mart? In my opinion Wal-Mart has tarnished the viability and clarity of organic produce. The thing that scares me is that the people purchasing groceries from Wal-Mart are certain to be lower income, and feeding them food chalked full of pesticides is only hurting their pocketbooks in the longterm. I think we are finally starting to see the effects of what chemicals in food can do to your body. Hopefully we can all pressure Wal-Mart on this and end the scientific corn!
April 23rd, 2012 at 3:04 pmBecause there are already varieties of other insect-resistant and Roundup-Ready varieties on the market, federal regulators are not requiring ANY approval process
March 7th, 2013 at 5:24 am