Business & Tech

Local Organic Markets Insist on GMO Labeling Following Whole Foods

Organic markets in Montgomery County say Whole Foods' decision will create a trickle-down effect for smaller markets that want to limit foods with genetically modified organisms.

By Patch Field Editor Whitney Teal

Following a move that requires companies that wish to be stocked by Whole Foods to label products made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by 2018, some local markets that cater to an environmentally-conscious crowd say they are creating similar practices.
American crops profusely employ modified genes—and have for at least the last 20 years—particularly for foods like corn and soybeans, but also some fish, meats and fruit, according to The New York Times. Food-raising companies use GMOs to produce more resilient crops, faster.

Two Montgomery County grocery stores, Dawson’s Market in Rockville and Roots Market in Olney, say they already are trying to avoid foods made with GMOs. Having a big-name company like Whole Foods behind the initiative, representatives from those companies said, only helps smaller markets.

“What that does is create a trickle-down effect for the rest of us,” said Becky Crump, marketing director at Dawson’s Market. “Whole Foods has something that small independents don’t have and that’s buying power, so they have the authority to put the pressure on manufacturers and distributors.”

When Whole Foods, an Austin-based collection of 340 stores from Los Angeles to London, announced in March that it would work to put a GMO labeling practice in place over the next five years, The Times said the move could likely change the entire grocery landscape. Hot on that company’s heels, Chipotle, a fast-casual Mexican food chain based in Denver, unceremoniously began labeling ingredients on its online menu this month with purple “Gs” to denote GMOs. Ben & Jerry’s also has said it would try to begin labeling.

For customers at Roots Market, the relatively minimal and highly disputed research about what GMOs may do to humans and soil is too great of a risk.

“We have a wide scope of customers, so we have some people who are extremely aware of GMOs and are thanking us for pushing in that direction,” said Gina Cawley, a representative for the company.

Both Roots and Dawson’s try to stick with certified organic products—those can’t be made with GMOs. For other products, Roots chooses those that are verified through the Non-GMO Project. Going forward, the market won’t buy new products that may have been made with GMOs.

“We have started drawing the line,” Cawley said. “So with any new products that we bring in, we are requiring that they let us know that they do not require GMO ingredients.”

Dawson’s is following Whole Foods, with a push to have all products labeled by 2018. For now, they have a policy that for new products, they check with the food manufacturer to find out if gene-modified ingredients were used.

Representatives from both markets said not having federally or state-mandated labeling makes GMO-hunting an arduous prospect.

“It’s really hard to do because a lot of this is kind of on their word,” Crump said. “There’s no verification system to check.”

Some products are much more likely than others to be made with GMOs—that’s cereals and tortillas and other things commonly made with corn and soy—but going ingredient by ingredient isn’t practical, Crump said.

State Sen. Glen Glass, a Republican representing Harford and Cecil Counties, introduced a bill last February that would have required manufacturers selling food in Maryland to label "Genetically Engineered" or "Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering," DCist.com reported. It did not pass the legislature.


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