Whole Food’s GMO Labeling
Summary-
In 2013, the popular grocery chain Whole Foods made a promise to customers that they would label all GMO products in their stores by the year 2018. Representatives of Whole Foods told the press that they are still working towards their 2018 goal, however there is evidence that may support otherwise. There are currently 435 Whole Foods Stores all over the country, and they are currently the leading organic-chain grocery store in America.
Analysis-
Whole Foods popularity is mostly due to the wide range of organic products they offer. They have over 30,000 organic products and 13,000 Non-GMO project-verified items already on their shelves, and plan to label all other existing GMO non-organic items by the next year. In recent years, sales at Whole Foods have drastically reduced, resulting in the permanent closure of 9 of their stores. One of the main causes of the business’s recent suffering is the increase of organic products showing up in other big-name retailers like Costco.
Apart from their recent sales decline, Whole Foods has dealt with several “scandals” within the last few years. The store pledges to be honest with their customers about the food they’re selling, which makes it very important that the company does not support anything related to GMO production. However, in 2016 a reporter revealed that Whole Foods is supporting Monsanto in their endeavor to abolish the GMO labeling law.
Why would the biggest organic-chain grocery store be against GMO labeling? CEO of the company, Walter Robb, stated that there is a reasonable explanation behind the company’s support, however his explanation is not as transparent as the company originally pledged to be. Robb argues that the proposed GMO labeling law is much too complex, and that using a QR code or 800 number would be more convenient for their customers who strive to eat a GMO-free diet. Many customers and Non-GMO project supporters were infuriated by this information, because the company promised to be transparent and honest to customers.
There are still many things that the company needs to do before reaching their 2018 goal. However, labeling all their non-GMO products will be the last of their worries if they lose all their customers. In order to appease the relationship that Whole Foods has with their customers, they need to be more committed to their pledge. Many of their customers are already aware of the recent scandals the company is involved in, so it won’t be an easy task to complete. Customers of Whole Foods cherish clean-food and honest companies so they are not likely to give their money to a company that supports GMO’s and non-organic farming. If Whole Foods want to keep their stores open, they need to release a statement contesting their support of Monsanto and take initiative to show customers that they committed to their mission. This could be done in a number of ways including advertisement and fundraisers. If the company shows that they are using maximum effort to support their initial pledge, their customers are sure to notice.
Sources used in this article:
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-03-11-are-we-witnessing-the-fall-of-whole-foods.html
