WASHINGTON, D.C. — The "Occupy" movement that rose to prominence protesting Wall Street's greed said it plans to target Trader Joe's the weekend of July 28 and July 29 as part of the group 's crusade against the use of genetically modified organisms in foods produced by Monsanto and other manufacturers.
In an online mailing entitled, "Truth at Trader Joe's," Occupy said it isn't satisfied with assurances by Trader Joe's that the products it sells are free of GMOs. "The fact is, no supermarket in America is immune to genetic contamination," the email said. "Some grocers and natural food stores work … to prevent this ghastly invasion of our food supply. According to Trader Joe's website, we should just blindly be assured that there are no unlabeled GMOs on their shelves."
Officials at Trader Joe's declined comment. The company's website says all products sold under the Trader Joe's label contain no genetically modified ingredients.
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Occupy's email cited a 2010 article about Trader Joe's in Fortune magazine that said private-label brands sold by the retailer are made by companies that regularly use GMOs in their products and said Trader Joe's does not have any sort of system in place to ascertain whether products it sells contain GMOs. Occupy is calling on the "genetic crimes unit" in each of its groups at the local level to expose to consumers the fact Trader Joe's products have GMOs as part of a prelude to Occupy's planned action on Sept. 17 against Monsanto.
"How to shop for the truth is up to you," the email said. According to Occupy, "If there isn't a [Trader Joe's] nearby, consider making a visit to your nearest chain grocery store."
