Whole Foods Announces GMO Labeling

Sweet corn/Fairfax County

While the democratic process in the U.S. is slow in deciding on mandatory GMO labeling, being hampered by several corporate interests, it's now another corporation which shows the way to a safer future for consumers. Whole Foods supermarket, as America's first national grocery store, has decided that by 2018 products in its U.S. and Canada stores must be labeled if they contain genetically modified organisms.

As Walter Tobb, co-CEO of Whole Foods, stated in The Huffington Post:

“We are putting a stake in the ground on GMO labeling to support the consumer’s right to know. The prevalence of GMOs in the U.S. paired with nonexistent mandatory labeling makes it very difficult for retailers to source non-GMO options and for consumers to choose non-GMO products. Accordingly, we are stepping up our support of certified organic agriculture, where GMOs are not allowed, and we are working together with our supplier partners to grow our non-GMO supply chain to ensure we can continue to provide these choices in the future.”

This news follows on the heels of a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll indicating that 82 percent of Americans think GMO foods should be labeled. Common sense still would dictate that the labeling of GMO should happen as soon as possible. Although Wholefoods' initiative is welcome, waiting five years seems a long time when dealing with consumers' choice and health.