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

this is not true

I work at Wholefoods and this is a lie, gather the facts Wholefoods is against gmo farming, our quality of foods and how they meet our standards are top most importance. There is no exception to this rule.

FWIW, New Seasons happily sells RAID in the big can.

At least they do at the Happy Valley store.

WFM is fearful of losing

WFM is fearful of losing money.
This is a war that The People are winning anyway.
Monsanto's actions will reflect back onto itself and Nature Is Is Victorious.

food is food... stop moaning

food is food... stop moaning and climb down off your high horses eco warriors

Seriously? Food is food?

Seriously? Food is food?

Unfortunately our health is our personal responsibility

This just reminds us that we can't take anything for granted in what other companies say. We can never assume or think that other companies are always making decisions in our best interest. In order to eat as healthy, GMO-free as possible, and keep our families healthy requires us to stay constantly educated so we can make the right decisions. It takes time and effort, but at the end of the day it is worth it. Shame on WFM. Bummer.

The USDA is Killing Us

The USDA is a government organization established to promote government subsidized food industries. The USDA should not be confused as an organization with a fundamental interest in promoting health.

The USDA's coercive policies and actions are a cause of the obesity crisis in the US, the blind testing of GMOs on future human generations, and the forced acceptance of widespread compromises to our health.

Whole Foods is on our side. Our side is losing.

This news makes me nauseous.

I want nothing to do with GMOs in any way.

agreed - misleading...but why

I encourage all to read this letter from Stonyfield. It describes in detail the past and present of this issue and other GE crops and sheds light on a united future we must all take part in to protect our choices and our children's choices. It also touches on, and sheds new light on the OCA's odd attack of staunch OG supporters such as Stonyfield, Whole Foods and Organic Valley.

As noted by the other readers above, for some reason, perhaps an easy headline, many bloggers are jumping on the bandwagon of of confusion caused by the OCA and are accusing OG supporters like Whole Foods, Stonyfield and Organic Valley of just giving in to Monsanto and the USDA.

http://www.stonyfield.com/blog/2011/01/29/the-organic-community-must-come-out-swinging-at-the-right-opponents/

The big OXYMORON - Whole Foods and Monsanto

Plastic food for plastic people

OR . . . maybe these big conglomerate companies think EVERYONE is truly is a MORON [as is obvious that Whole Foods and Monsanto ARE] and they are pumping "oxygen-like" counterfeits into their LIES about how MANIPULATING the WHAT IS of Nature is somehow "better" [??????] than as it has been intended for millennia.

Earth's atmosphere is polluted; the seeds planted are corrupted from their natural state; the grounds we then grow those seeds are further poisoned more with CHEMICAL (not natural) fertilizers; then those foods are sprayed further with a different chemical; then those foods are fed to the cows / chickens in unnatural conditions, and that are then maliciously slaughtered (while their bodies spew out fear-intoxicated-hormones); and people grab fast food, and processed items, or waxed fruits & veges, off the shelves because the big conglomerate companies run by satanic forces are making sure the majority of folks are too busy and fearful of not making money to feed their unnaturally formed / biologically poisoned children.

PEOPLE we are turning into PLASTICized duplicates of how / why / what Real Life was intended to be. But most people's brains are comprised of the aforementioned poisons [NOT TO MENTION THE PHARMACEUTICALS THEY'RE ALSO LIVING ON] which CLOG THEIR ABILITY TO FEEL, TO SEE, TO THINK, TO REASON, TO DISPUTE, AND REFUTE the "intellectual science gobbledegook" spit out by the demons that seem to have taken over our entire planet.