How to Avoid the Products of Genetic Engineering, Un-fondly known as GMOs:

We at the Wedge firmly believe in consumers' rights to complete information about the food they buy. The founders of the cooperative movement thought it was crucial as far back as 1844 and natural food co-ops have subscribed to the principle as long as we have been in business.

The issue of GMOs is not new to us. We were deeply involved in the successful campaign to resist inclusion of GMOs in the Organic Rule. With our sister co-op Mississippi Market, in St. Paul, we produced a Consumer Right to Know forum about genetic engineering at Macalester College in the late 90s.

Wedge is a longtime member of organizations that work to demand truth-in-labeling regarding GMOs. These include The Center for Food Safety, Cornucopia Institute, the Truth in Labeling Coalition and the National Organic Coalition. We have contributed to the lawsuit that is going forward about genetically engineered alfalfa and are members of the Non-GMO Project. We devote considerable staff time to commenting to government agencies about our opposition to GMOs. The National Cooperative Grocers Association, our national organization, spends considerable effort opposing deregulation of genetically engineered crops at the regulatory and legal level.

Unfortunately, the Organic Consumers Association is directing both their resources and consumer energy about this issue toward the wrong parties: retailers. The OCA wants grocery stores to put up shelf signs or else label every single product package that might have a GMO ingredient. Who needs to hear from consumers about truth in labeling are food companies and the government agencies that regulate food labels. Learn about how we can make this happen.

Shelf signs or labels on all products that might (or might not) contain something do not help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. We prefer an educational approach to give our shoppers information they need to shop wisely anywhere.

Think about it: do you really want to rely on the ability of every single grocery store to accurately label thousands of products that have ingredient lists and labels that change frequently?