On GMOs at the Co-op - Ukiah Daily Journal

To the Editor:
It's election time at the Co-op. Once again I am concerned about the proliferation of GMOs at the Co-op. Even the textured soy protein isn't organic. As up to 90 percent of soy isn't organic, chances are, it probably is. You'd be hard pressed to find Vitamin E that doesn't have non-organic soy in it (Now has Sun-E 400 non-GMO soy free).

Our selection literature talks about new bylaws needed to raise fair share payments from time to time to determine patronage payments to owners based on the needs of the Co-op, one of which is a new store. So I think the perennial proliferation of GMOs issue must be resolved before that event. Are we going to move all the GMOs with us to a new store? Do we need a new store if we remove GMOs?

I was told when I first raised this issue about a decade ago, along with others, by one board member that we needed GMOs, otherwise our shelves would be empty and by a staff member that we needed to compete with the big supermarkets. I felt disoriented in an alternate universe - the corporate one (the Co-op is a non-profit). Serving on the survey committee, I was told asking the members what to do was unprofessional. We couldn't ask members directly if they wanted to label GMOs, refuse to have GMOs in the store, or other. What was asked was, "Was there anything the Co-op shouldn't sell?" In every category the answer was GMOs, and most were in the 90 percent bracket. There was, I think, an 88 percent in one category. 



On GMOs at the Co-op - Ukiah Daily Journal