Where do you buy your groceries? I used to purchase at our local HyVee until the recent neighborhood Fareway opened. I have purchased at Dahls and Trader Joes and even occasionally at Aldis. What I look for in a grocery store is a bit about price but maybe more about selection and service. This summer a Whole Foods Store opened up near my home and I have been tickled to find an additional source for some things that I previously could not find at the traditional grocery stores.
Whole Foods carries a larger line of certified organic foods than my other local grocery stores and this makes me feel more comfortable feeding my family. I know that they stock their shelves with lots of local products and found the brand of organic milk we now exclusively drink in our home. I have even visited the Pickett Fence Dairy just north of Des Moines so I am comfortable and trust their products when I purchase their brand from the refrigerator at Whole Foods, which is significantly closer to home.
Why am I writing this piece today? Because of all the fire that Whole Foods has received on line and in the media lately about carrying genetically modified foods in their store. You can read one of the articles right here: http://www.naturalnews.com/037467_Whole_Foods_marketing_fraud_GMO.html
I read the article and while I am a bit disappointed in the deceptive practices by Whole Foods, it is still a good choice for many of my food staples and I will not quit shopping there based only on these allegations of fraudulent representation. I will, instead, be an educated consumer.
When grocery shopping for my family, I am making as many conscious and educated choices as I can. I don't believe commercials on tv, advertisements by local stores, or everything I hear. I do my own research and make the decision I can live with. Whole Foods should clearly admit that they carry modified food items but then if you do your research, you will know that anything made of corn, soy, or canola in any supermarket and it is not labeled Certified Organic, it will most likely be a genetically modified product. At least we have a label for organic produce (which is not supposed to be genetically modified and carry this label). At least we can do research and find which foods have been modified and are unsafe. I am grateful for that!
Whole Foods, shame on you for your deceptive practices. Shame on you for making a profit on food that is not healthy for us.... but you are certainly not alone. Consumers will not find a store in the free market system that makes decisions for us and keeps us safe on all fronts. We are surrounded by food choices and we make them of our own free will. We are surrounded with information and have the opportunity make decisions about the risks we are willing to take with our health.
Just give this some thought. We have a Certified Organic label for our foods. If someone tells you that their soy, canola, or corn product is NOT genetically modified, but it is not labeled as organic, you can bet it still contains pesticides, toxins, and is, in fact, genetically modified. If it was not, they would slap a CO label on it in a heartbeat and charge you an extra bit of money for it! I am willing to pay a bit more for the safest food options. That is why my morning protein shake is ORGANIC WHEY PROTEIN and labeled as such.
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