The Farmplate Blog

First things first. We are not here to pass judgment on Wal-Mart, which we can only assume has done its own research on whether GMO products are safe for consumers (their conclusion is obvious). 

Instead, what’s interesting about Wal-Mart’s decision to sell Monsanto’s GE sweetcorn is that it’s the first time a consumer product developed by Monsanto will go straight from the farm to plate, instead of being processed first. Other retailers (Whole Foods and Trader Joes among them) have either decided not to sell the product, or have yet to weigh in.

The other interesting element to this story, which we learned from EcoWatch, is that the product also won’t be labeled as genetically modified. As the largest grocery retailer in the U.S., what Wal-Mart does makes an undeniable impact and creates a powerful (and some would say worrisome) precedent.

Read on for more...

“Like it or not, Monsanto’s genetically modified sweet corn will soon be arriving on grocery store shelves of the world’s largest retailer, Walmart Stores, Inc., and will not be labeled as such. Despite an onslaught of consumer pressure, the company confirmed late last week with the Chicago Tribune that it has no objection to selling the new crop of Monsanto’s genetically modified (GE) sweet corn.

Other retailers, including the grocery chains Safeway and Kroger, have not responded on the issue, however Whole Foods, Trader Joes and General Mills have all vowed to not carry or use the GE sweet corn. As the country’s largest grocery retailer, Walmart sells $129 billion worth of food a year, giving it unmatched power in shaping the food supply chain.

The GE sweet corn is the first consumer product developed by Monsanto that will go straight from the farm to the consumer’s plate, rather than first being processed into animal feed, sugars, oils, fibers and other ingredients found in a wide variety of conventional food. It is engineered to be resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, the active ingredient of which is glyphosate. The product is also designed to produce a Bt toxin that will kill insects that feed on the plant. Monsanto’s new sweet corn is being harvested in the Midwest, Northwest, Southeast and Texas…”

Read the full article here > 

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