Whole Foods will require labels for genetically modified foods by 2018

Grocery chain Whole Foods has announced that in five years time it will require labels for all products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO), a first among major American retailers. The plan includes all stores across the US and Canada — Whole Foods’ seven locations in the UK already require such labels. Genetically modified foods can include everything from faster growing salmon to apples that won’t turn brown, and the retailer said that the decision to require labels was made due to consumer demand. “We’re responding to our customers, who have consistently asked us for GMO labeling and we are doing so by focusing on where we have control: in our own stores,” co-CEO Walter Robb said. The move isn’t without its detractors, however, with the Grocery Manufacturers Association telling the New York Times that “these labels could mislead consumers into believing that these food products are somehow different or present a special risk or a potential risk.”