PORTLAND, Ore., July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Whole Foods Market
strongly supports Oregon's Measure
92, requiring mandatory labeling of raw and packaged foods
containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) by January 1, 2016.
More than 155,000 Oregonians signed a petition to put Measure 92
on the ballot this November.
"At Whole Foods Market, we believe consumers have a fundamental
right to know what's in their food so that they can make informed
choices about what's right for them and their families," said
Joe Rogoff, Whole Foods Market's
Regional President of the Pacific Northwest.
"We label ingredients, we label allergens, we label nutrients,
and we label countries of origin. Why wouldn't we also require
labeling for genetic modification? The time has come for the people
of Oregon to let their voices be
heard and make a change," said Rogoff.
Whole Foods Market currently has eight stores and one mobile
grocery location in the state of Oregon. Together with thousands of
Oregon-based team members, Whole
Foods Market will partner with the Yes on Measure 92 campaign team
to support this measure to victory.
In March 2013, Whole Foods Market
became the first national grocer to set a deadline for full GMO
transparency. By 2018, all food in Whole Foods Market's U.S. and
Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate if they contain GMOs.
Whole Foods Market has already been hard at work with its suppliers
for several years to source products without GMO ingredients. Whole
Foods Market currently sells more than 6,800 grocery items,
represented by more than 500 brands that are verified non-GMO. This
is more than any retailer in North
America.
For more information on Yes on Measure 92, please visit
www.oregonrighttoknow.org.
About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1980
in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods
Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural
and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified
organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest
Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto,
"Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to
ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and
happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and
environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than
78,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of
the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE
magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2013, the company
had sales of $12.9 billion and
currently has more than 360 stores in the
United States, Canada and
the United Kingdom.
SOURCE Whole Foods Market