GMO debate: Consumer activists seek labeling of genetically modified foods

They have become so common that even organic retailer Whole Foods says it can’t avoid stocking some

Protesters demonstrate against GMOs in food at the Whole Foods Market on North Kingsbury Street in Chicago earlier this month. (Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune / May 24, 2011)

By Monica Eng, Tribune reporter 8:04 p.m. CDT, May 24, 2011

When a team of activists wearing white hazmat suits showed up at a Chicago grocery store to protest the sale of genetically modified foods, they picked an unlikely target: Whole Foods Market.

Organic foods, by definition, can’t knowingly contain genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs. But genetically modified corn, soy and other crops have become such common ingredients in processed foods that even one of the nation’s top organic food retailers says it hasn’t been able to avoid stocking some products that contain them.

“No one would guess that there are genetically engineered foods right here in Whole Foods,”

said Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director of the Organic Consumers Association, which organized the protest. The activists dramatically trashed a battery of well-known health food brands outside the store, including Tofutti, Kashi and Boca Burgers.

via GMO debate: Consumer activists seek labeling of genetically modified foods – chicagotribune.com.