On March 8, 2013, Whole Foods Market announced a new GMO-labeling
standard that will require all food products containing GMOs (genetically
modified organisms) to be labeled as such by 2018 in order to remain on its
stores’ shelves.1 This major decision comes less than six months
after California’s Proposition 37, which would have made GMO-labeling mandatory
throughout the state, failed to pass in the November election. A major retailer
with 339 stores in the United States and Canada, Whole Foods Market can affect
change in product labeling on a national level through the establishment of a
new quality standard, much as it did in 2010 by instituting an organic labeling
standard for personal care products.1,2
According to The Non-GMO Project — a nonprofit organization officially launched
in 2007 that provides GMO education and certifies non-GMO products — “as much
as 80% of conventional processed food” contains GMOs, 92% of Americans want GMO
labeling, and 23 states are “working on mandatory labeling.”3
Whole Foods Market’s Global Vice President of Quality Standards and Public
Affairs and American Botanical Council Board of Trustees member Margaret
Wittenberg, said that the GMO-labeling standard for food will apply to “conventional”
foods as well as dietary supplements. “The announcement is all-encompassing,”
said Wittenberg (email, March 28, 2013). “We will work with our supplier
partners in every department, including supplements, to label products if they
contain GMO ingredients by 2018.”
Genetically modified ingredients are used in some dietary supplements.
The United States’ supply of soy (Glycine max), a top-selling single-herb
supplement and supplement ingredient, is commonly genetically modified to be
invulnerable to herbicides.4,5 Crops of another top-selling
single-herb supplement ingredient, alfalfa (Medicago sativa),
also are commonly GMO.4,5 According to The Non-GMO Project’s
website, ingredients that could be “hidden” GMOs include the following:
- Amino Acids
- Aspartame
- Ascorbic Acid
- Sodium Ascorbate
- Vitamin C
- Citric Acid
- Sodium Citrate
- Flavorings (‘natural’ and ‘artificial’)
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
- Lactic Acid
- Maltodextrins
- Molasses
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
- Sucrose
- Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
- Xanthan Gum
- Vitamins
- Yeast Products.”4
Additionally, dietary supplements containing live microbials can
contain genetically modified bacterial strains,6 and the amino acid
l-theanine, for example, can be synthesized via genetically engineered Escherichia coli (oral communication, D.
Armstrong, February 15, 2013).
Dietary supplements whose labels feature the US Department of Agriculture’s
(USDA) certified organic seal are intended to be (and commonly are understood
to be) free from GMOs; however, because third-party certifiers may interpret
regulations inconsistently, it is possible for varying levels of genetically
modified ingredients to make it into USDA-certified organic foods.7
Some supplement companies already are going the extra mile to ensure
their products are free from GMOs. New Chapter, Inc. — a manufacturer of
herbal, vitamin, and mineral dietary supplements — has received Non-GMO Project
certification on more than 85 percent of its products, according to the company
website, and it aims to boost that number to 100 percent.8 Additional
reputable supplement companies, including Gaia Herbs and NOW Foods, among
others, have non-GMO policies in place.9,10
In the European Union, labeling of genetically modified food (specifically,
food with more than 0.9% GMOs) is required.7 Although the US Food
and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization consider genetically
modified food to be safe, recent studies have found traces of GMO-produced
insecticide Cry1Ab in fetal blood, GMO-linked liver and kidney problems in
rats, and slower rates of growth coupled with higher death and infertility
rates in GMO-fed hamsters.11
Whole Foods Market’s decision to implement a
GMO-labeling standard was ultimately a response to its mindful consumers’
demand for clarity. “We want to provide as much transparency as possible to our
shoppers in ALL departments,” said Wittenberg, “so they can make informed,
conscious choices.”
—Ash Lindstrom
References
1. Strom S. Major grocer to label foods with gene-modified content. New York Times. March 8, 2013. Available
at: www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/business/grocery-chain-to-require-labels-for-genetically-modified-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
2. Lindstrom A. Whole Foods Market raises standard for organic labeling on
personal care products sold in its stores. HerbalEGram September 2010.
Available at:
http://cms.herbalgram.org/heg/volume7/09September/WholeFoodsPersonalCarePolicy.html.
Accessed April 3, 2013.
3. Prop 37 may not have passed, but the non-GMO movement is winning. Non-GMO
Project website. Available at: www.nongmoproject.org/2012/11/07/prop-37-may-not-have-passed-but-the-non-gmo-movement-is-winning/.
Accessed April 1, 2013.
4. GMOs and your family. Non-GMO Project Website. Available at:
www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/gmos-and-your-family/. Accessed April 1, 2013.
5. Blumenthal M, Lindstrom A, Ooyen C, Lynch ME. Herb supplement sales increase
4.5% in 2011. HerbalGram
2012;95:60-64. Available at:
http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue95/hg95-mktrpt.html.
6. Draft guidance for industry: dietary supplements: new dietary ingredients
and related issues. US Food and Drug Administration website. Available at:
www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/DietarySupplements/ucm257563.htm.
Accessed April 1, 2013.
7. Coulter-Parker N. Are GMOs hidden in organic foods? NewHope360 blog. April
23, 2013. Available at:
http://newhope360.com/blog/are-gmos-hidden-organic-foods. Accessed April 1,
2013.
8. Sustainability begins with intention. New Chapter website. Available at:
www.newchapter.com/sustainability/organic. Accessed April3, 2013.
9. Herbal FAQ. Gaia Herbs website. Available at:
www.gaiaherbs.com/pages/detail/46/herbal-faq. Accessed April 3, 2013.
10. GMO and non-GMO products. NOW Foods website. Available at:
www.nowfoods.com/Products/FAQs/M014595.htm. Accessed April 3, 2013.
11. Smith T. Insecticide from genetically modified corn found in fetal blood
samples. HerbalEGram. August 2011. Available at:
http://cms.herbalgram.org/heg/volume8/08August/GMBttoxinstudy.html?t=13123.
Accessed April 3, 2013.
|