It is difficult to express how disappointed we are by the USDA’s
decision to completely deregulate genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa
without restrictions. This news means farmers will now be able to plant
Roundup Ready GE alfalfa without restrictions, beginning as soon as this
spring.

The USDA had been considering two potential decisions on this issue –
either full deregulation or deregulation with restrictions. The latter
would have set rules to protect non-GE crops from contamination. While
Whole Foods Market and other advocates for non-GE and organic foods feel
the USDA’s deregulation decision is a setback, we will continue the
fight for the protection of non-GE food, as we have ever since
genetically engineered crops first appeared in the marketplace.

Whole Foods Market advocated strongly for deregulation with restrictions to preserve the ability of non-GE and organic growers to avoid contamination. It
seemed that the USDA was finally recognizing that cross-contamination
of GE alfalfa could potentially impact organic and non-GE farmers and
consumers, both domestically and for our export markets. In
fact, by inviting non-GE industry members to D.C. to discuss this issue,
it appeared as though the USDA was acknowledging that organic and
non-GE agriculture has the right to not only survive, but to thrive
alongside GE agriculture.

Unfortunately, the USDA’s decision fell far short of this mark, and
we believe that unrestricted planting of GE alfalfa without setting any
clear coexistence framework, with thresholds for contamination and
providing for ongoing testing and verification, is irresponsible. As true advocates of non-GE foods, we had hoped for far better from this process. Here is a post on Samuel Fromartz’s Chewswise blog that does a good job of describing the potential fallout.

Many people have asked us why we endorsed the coexistence option
rather than an outright ban on GE alfalfa. That was never an option in
Washington!  The USDA presented the industry with only two options that
they were considering– deregulation and deregulation with restrictions.
Given the pervasive planting of GE crops in the U.S. – 93% of soy, 86%
of corn, 93% of cotton and 93% of canola seed planted were genetically
engineered in the U.S. in 2010 – the option of an outright ban was not
on the table. Whole Foods Market — along with the National Cooperative
Grocers Association, the National Organic Coalition, the Organic Trade Association,
and other companies and groups — endorsed the path of deregulation with
restrictions, or coexistence, not because it was a perfect path, but
because it was a path to create meaningful change right now
in the regulating of genetically engineered foods and the protection of
non-GE foods. Because we supported the USDA’s approach of coexistence,
certain consumer groups misunderstood our efforts and accused us of
supporting big biotech, endorsing the proliferation of GE crops, and
turning our backs on our shoppers’ and their desire to avoid GE food. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Whole Foods Market has been a staunch supporter of non-GE foods in
the marketplace.  We have taken a strong and visible stance on
biotechnology in agriculture, and will continue to do so. 

• We believe that GE food should be clearly labeled, and that the USDA
  and FDA’s policies on GE foods are not consistent with our consumers’
  expectations.
• Since 1992, before GE crops were even commercialized, we have been
  educating and advocating on this issue, and we will continue to pursue
  our right to sell non-GE food.
• We are proud to be a founding leader of The Non-GMO Project,
  which works to ensure the sustained availability of non-GMO choices
  through an industry-wide product standard. (Genetically engineered and
  Genetically Modified Organism — GMOs — are used interchangeably.)
• We are committed to sourcing our store brand products to avoid GE
  ingredients, and we will continue to fight for strong organic standards
  that do not allow the use of GE crops.
• We support the National Organic Standards, which prohibit GMOs in
  organics, and we champion informed consumer choice with regard to GMOs.
• Our 365 Everyday Value® and Whole Foods Market™ brand products are
  sourced to avoid ingredients grown from genetically engineered seed,
  and our partnership with the Non-GMO Project will enable us to verify and label these products.

We will continue to work aggressively on this issue because we
believe that GE food ingredients should be clearly labeled, and that
consumers who want to avoid them should have an actionable way to do so.
While yesterday’s decision will make our work more difficult, we are as
committed as ever to ensuring that non-GE food remains available and we
will continue to advocate for our farmers and for our shoppers on this
issue.