GMOs: Just Label It!
Clem Nilan, General Manager
A customer comment from last week urged our Co-op to label genetically modified foods (GMOs). The comment was timely. October marks the launch of a national campaign called the Just Label It! We have the right to know with the goal of requiring labeling of GMO products.
The management and staff of our Co-op strongly support this campaign and believe that our members have a right to know what's in their food.
The FDA's stance is that GMO foods are substantially equivalent to unmodified, "natural" foods and therefore not subject to FDA regulation. Currently GMO labeling is voluntary. As a result, there is virtually no labeling of GMO ingredients.
The average food shopper has no idea which products are genetically modified or not. There is simply no information available on product labels to make informed choices. In fact, in a 2010 survey by the Hartman Group 61% of respondents believed that the term "natural" on a product's label implied the "absence of genetically modified foods." In this case, the majority of respondents are wrong.
US agribusiness wants to preserve voluntary labeling – when Europe required GMO ingredients to be labeled, consumers stopped buying them. Food co-ops believe in a citizen’s right to know. Historically co-ops have always been at the forefront of advocating for consumer education and product labeling.
We also know that the general public is in support of labeling – national surveys indicate 93% of Americans believe genetically modified foods should be labeled and I have yet to meet a single person in Vermont who is opposed to the labeling of GMOs.
GMO labeling will not happen without the clear support of the American public. Now is the time to take action. The head of our national co-op organization estimates the project will need over a million signatures. It’s easy…please visit the campaign’s website and urge the FDA to label GMOs. The FDA won’t be able to ignore a tsunami of public opinion.
We’ll definitely keep you posted on this campaign as it progresses. In the meantime, dealing with things as they stand today, I would like to share with you some frequently asked questions and answers about GMOs.
I am worried about GMOs in food. What should I buy?
Look for the USDA Certified Organic label. Organic standards do not allow GMOs in certified organic foods. You may also look for independently verified non-GMO claims through the Non-GMO Project.
Why isn’t your co-op labeling all non-organic products as “could contain GMOs”?
As a co-op, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of all of our customers. We support the right of consumers to make their own purchasing decisions. We also support their right to accurate information to make those decisions. Unfortunately, it would be impossible for our co-op to test every product available in the market.
Are there specific products that might contain GMOs?
The most common genetically modified food crops are corn, canola and soybeans. Genetically modified sugar beets have also been approved for production. If you want to avoid GMOs, avoid non-organic processed food containing these ingredients or their derivative ingredients (see the Non-GMO shopping guide for a full list of these at-risk ingredients).
What is our Co-op doing about GMOs?
The biggest thing we can do is advocate for policies that would require agribusiness to label GMOs in food. We are members of the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), which works with many organizations on behalf of all food co-ops to label GMOs and to fight the deregulation of GMOs at the regulatory and legal level. We are a member of the Non-GMO Project and a supporter of the Just Label It! campaign.
What can I do to fight GMOs?
Contact your legislators and add your voice to the Just Label it! campaign to label GMOs. Send your comments to the FDA through the Just Label It! website and let them know you want to be able to make informed choices.