Whole Foods Market Caves to Monsanto

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WholeFoodsMarketAfter 12 years of battling to stop Monsanto's genetically-engineered (GE) crops from contaminating the nation's organic farmland, the biggest retailers of "natural" and "organic" foods in the U.S., including Whole Foods Market (WFM), Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farm, have agreed to stop opposing mass commercialization of GE crops, like Monsanto's controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa. In exchange for dropping their opposition, WFM has asked for "compensation" to be paid to organic farmers for "any losses related to the contamination of his crop." Under current laws, Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not subject to any pre-market safety testing or labeling. WFM is abandoning its fight with biotech companies in part because two thirds of the products they sell are not certified organic anyway, but are really conventional, chemical-intensive and foods that may contain GMOs and that they market as "natural" despite this. Most consumers don't know the difference between "natural" and "certified organic" products. "Natural" products can come from crops and animals fed nutrients containing GMOs. "Certified Organic" products are GMO-free. WFM and their main distributor, United Natural Foods, maximize profits by selling products labeled "natural" at premium organic prices.  (A typographical error in the second sentence of this story was subsequently corrected.  We regret this minor error.)

Comments

No it's not.

Monsanto would just love for everyone to be that confused.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seedless_fruit

The processes that produce seedless fruits -- and have since long before Monsanto -- are at the chromosomal level, not the genetic level. It's like the difference between chemistry and nuclear physics.

That's a false distinction

What do you think is the difference between chromosomes and genetics?

Get a grip!

Hysteria is fun!

Bye Bye Whole Foods!

Won't be shopping there anymore. It sickens me that a major "organic" grocery chain has sold out.

organic v. natural

Whole Foods has not been "organic" for some time. The term "natural" (which Whole Foods used) does not mean organic.

January 28th?

Was this report written in the future? It has a byline date of 3 days from now.

January 28th?

2011, not 2012.

Last year (2011)

Last year (2011)

Read Much?

Try again, dummy.

Don't call people names

So someone misread/didn't read the date. Why call them "dummy"? I'm sure you've made such mistakes in your life, "Anonymous."

There's no reason to be disrespectful here.