<p><strong>Austin, TX</strong><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Whole Foods Market is taking its stance in support of California’s Proposition 37. The proposition requires mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods by January 1, 2014 and was born from the belief that customers have the right to know how their food is produced. The company does have some reservations with the bill as is. If the measure is approve, the company hopes that several concerns can be resolved in the implementation phase, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Some of those issues of concern are the use of 0.5% of the total weight as the upper limit for processed foods that contain one or more genetically engineered ingredients to be exempted from labeling as being inconsistent with the long-established international labeling standard of 0.9%.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Also, the enforcement of Proposition 37 will not be handled in partnership with the California Attorney General’s Office but instead by private plaintiff attorneys pursuing civil litigation. This concerns the company as the best interests of the people of California may not be properly represented, the company states.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Manufacturers could be compelled to label products with “May be Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering” even if it is not the case to avoid costly litigation and protect themselves. This could result in consumers receiving inaccurate information.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com" target="_new">Whole Foods</a> </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
