On Friday, Whole Foods Markets announced that all products in their stores with genetically modified ingredients will be clearly labeled within five years. They say they're making the move to meet consumer demand for GMO labeling, and that the five-year time frame is to give their suppliers time to source non-GMO ingredients or to change labels to clearly distinguish those products that contain genetically modified ingredients.

From the blog post announcing the new GMO policy:

Today, we stood up for the consumer's right to know by announcing that all products in our US and Canadian stores containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must be clearly labeled within five years. We heard our customers loud and clear asking us for GMO labeling and we are responding where we have control: in our own stores.

We are the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency.

This comes just a few months after Proposition 37, the proposition that would have required GMO labeling in California, was defeated in this state's November elections after big agriculture companies like Monsanto poured millions of dollars into an ad campaign claiming the law was confusing and would be costly.

But with recent polls showing that a huge majority of Americans support and want GMO labeling, Whole Foods is making a business decision to give those people what they want. It's a vegan Libertarian's dream come true: big business solving the problems of health-minded elites when the democratic process fails to do so.

See also:

– Prop 37 Goes Down: Big Ag Wins This Round in The Fight For GMO Labeling

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