{"id":23058,"date":"2018-07-23T00:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T04:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=23058"},"modified":"2018-07-23T11:01:17","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T15:01:17","slug":"tell-whole-foods-label-gmo-ingredients-products-planned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2018\/07\/tell-whole-foods-label-gmo-ingredients-products-planned\/","title":{"rendered":"Tell Whole Foods to Label for GMO Ingredients in Products, as It Had Planned"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, July 23, 2018) Whole Foods Quietly Put Its Comprehensive GMO Labeling Policy on Hold.<\/strong> As USDA\u2019s proposal<\/a> to use smiley face labels for genetically engineered (GE) foods or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) nears implementation, it is more essential than ever that retailers step up to identify genetically engineered foods in their stores. Five years ago, Whole Foods Market announced a plan<\/a> to label food with GE ingredients sold in its stores. Whole Foods\u2019 plan requires a label for all GE food sold in its stores by the end of 2018, noting that the move was made in response to customers\u2019 increased demand for labeled products. \u201cSome of our manufacturers say they\u2019ve seen a 15 percent increase in sales of products they have labeled [as non\u2013GMO],\u201d explains A.C. Gallo, Whole Foods president and chief operating officer. The chain\u2019s labeling requirements include all of its North American stores, as its European supermarkets already require this label. Consumers Reports found that 92% of people surveyed (2014) want their food labeled for ingredients that are genetically engineered.<\/p>\n

Tell Whole Foods and Owner Amazon to Get Back on Track in Labeling GMOs<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an email to suppliers on May 18, 2018, Whole Foods\u2019 Mr. Gallo announced that the company, which has recently been acquired by Amazon, would pause its GE labeling requirements in response to suppliers\u2019 concerns about having to comply with two competing sets of rules \u2013Whole Foods\u2019 own labeling requirements and rules newly proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which were then open for public comment.<\/p>\n

As currently written, Whole Foods\u2019 requirements would be more stringent than the proposed USDA rules in at least two significant ways. First, USDA has suggested letting companies label GE ingredients by QR code, meaning that customers would need to be directed to a website via smartphone to find out what\u2019s in their food, while Whole Foods never planned to allow QR codes<\/a> as disclosures. Second, USDA rules contain exemptions for meat products<\/a>, which are regulated under a different system.<\/p>\n

The USDA proposed rule fails in every important respect:<\/p>\n