Living Earth Helps Worcester County Residents Celebrate their Right to Know

Sept. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Worcester, MA —(September 29, 2012) This October,  Living Earth will be one of more than 1,500 grocery retailers across North America participating in the third annual Non-GMO Month—a celebration of people’s right to choose food and products that do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Studies show that more than 90% of Americans want to know whether or not their food contains GMOs, and 2012 has seen a groundswell in the “right to know” movement. In the past year, over 1.2 million Americans have contacted the FDA asking them to implement mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Despite the public’s overwhelming demand to label GMO’s, many corporations are lobbying against it, preferring to keep consumers in the dark. During Non-GMO Month, Living Earth will help shoppers identify Non-GMO Project Verified choices with special shelf tags, and educational materials.
Public concern about GMOs is rising as studies increasingly raise doubts about the long-term safety and environmental impact of this experimental technology. Genetic engineering forces DNA from one species into the DNA of a different species, resulting in unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or through traditional breeding.
“The right to know what we’re eating and feeding our families is so basic,” says Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the non-profit Non-GMO Project, which started Non-GMO Month. “Americans deserve the same freedom to avoid experimental GMO foods as people in other countries.” GMO labeling is mandatory in nearly 50 countries around the world, including Australia, Russia, China, and all of Europe, but no such requirements exist in the U.S.
In response to the regulatory void, more than a dozen states have taken up GMO labeling bills in the last year, including a voter initiative of great magnitude in California that puts mandatory GMO labeling on this November’s ballot.
While consumers fight for their right to know at the polls, the Non-GMO Project provides shoppers an immediate solution to the presence of unlabeled GMOs.  As the only third party non-GMO verification in North America, the Non-GMO Project Verified seal is quickly gaining popularity. It is now the fastest growing label claim in the natural products industry with more than 5,000 Non-GMO Project Verified products.
For residents of Worcester County, Living Earth, an organic and natural food market established in 1971, will make it especially easy to find Non-GMO Project Verified choices throughout Non-GMO Month. “With GMOs now contaminating as much as 80% of conventional packaged foods, we are more committed than ever to helping people find safe, healthy non-GMO choices” says store manager, Frank Phelan. “We believe people have the right to know what’s in their food, and we will be celebrating that all throughout Non-GMO Month this October.”
The Living Earth, established in 1971, is a local family owned business dedicated to providing our customers with healthy shopping choices, and expert knowledge. Fresh, organic produce is offered year round, and grown locally from their own farm in Rutland, MA. In-store, friendly and knowledgeable staff, consistently work to provide foods and specialty items that are all natural, organic, and environmentally conscious. Living Earth prides itself on being the expert in helping customers take the steps necessary to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Visit www.lefoods.com for more information.