America’s Best Organics joins JustLabelIt.org to Launch Consumer Campaign Calling For the Right to Know What is in Our Food

America’s Best Organics, a leading provider of premium organic “gift baskets in a box” featuring all organic and eco-friendly products from leading local, artisan and specialty producers, along with a diverse community of over 400 organizations and companies, has joined the Just Label It campaign calling upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Boulder, CO (January 18, 2012) – Best Organics Inc., provider of America’s Best Organics organic gift basket collections, has joined a coalition of more than 400 businesses and organizations dedicated to food safety and consumer rights calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods, in order to give consumers the right to know what is in our food.

The Just Label It: We Have a Right to Know (www.justlabelit.org) campaign, based in Washington, DC, submitted a petition in September 2011 on behalf of millions of consumers to the FDA calling for the mandatory labeling of GE foods, also referred to as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. These are foods that are altered at the molecular level in ways that could not happen naturally.

The petition filed with FDA calls for products that use ingredients produced with genetic engineering to disclose this information on the label. By not informing consumers that they are purchasing GE foods, the public is misled into purchasing misbranded foods. Since 1992, the FDA has rejected labeling of GE foods. By contrast, labeling is required in countries including the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Brazil and China. Pending before FDA is a decision on whether to approve the first genetically engineered animal—a salmon that grows to maturity twice as fast as normal—and if approved, whether to require labeling on this salmon.

“We are asking the FDA to change a decade’s old and out of touch policy,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety and lead author of the petition. “Today’s consumers are more informed than ever, and they have a right to know about the foods they are purchasing and consuming. We want the FDA to require labeling on foods intentionally produced using genetic engineering.”

“America’s Best Organics relies heavily on the integrity of the supply chain to meet our commitment to exclusively offer food and personal care products with 70% or higher levels of USDA certified organic ingredients. We encourage everyone to look for the USDA Organic seal and buy organic—the National Organic Standards prohibit the use of genetic engineering. Many of the items in our gift box collections are also Non-GMO Project Verified, another way to avoid genetically engineered ingredients,” stated Seleyn DeYarus, CEO of Best Organics. “We are hopeful that this campaign will raise awareness of this issue, and drive consumers to submit comments to the FDA and let Washington know that Americans want labeling of genetically engineered foods,” continued DeYarus.

The Just Label It: We Have a Right to Know campaign web site, www.justlabelit.org, allows consumers an easy, one-click method to notify the FDA of their support for the petition and stay up to date on the initiative. The site offers education tools to get informed about GE foods, the benefits of labeling foods and ways to stay engaged through blogs and social media. The campaign also launched a video that conveys the point of the initiative: Without labeling, families are being kept in the dark.

“Polls show that consumers demand transparency in the foods they buy and overwhelmingly support labeling of GE food,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, the public policy division of Consumer Reports. “In order to make informed decisions, the public deserves a truthful marketplace.”

A 2010 Thomson Reuters PULSETM Healthcare Survey, “National Survey of Healthcare Consumers: Genetically Engineered Food” showed that 93 percent of Americans believe GE foods should be labeled. The foods that are most likely to be genetically engineered are processed foods containing corn, soy, canola and cottonseed oil. Nearly 90 percent of corn; 94 percent of soy; and 90 percent of cottonseed grown in the US are from GE seeds. These ingredients are most often found in packaged foods like cereals, crackers, cookies, chips, frozen meals and more.

"Scientists and consumers alike have many reasons for being concerned about the long-term health and environmental consequences of genetically engineered foods. And the scientific debate about the benefits and risks of these crops will continue for a long time. Meanwhile an entire generation will have grown up consuming them,” said Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm, a member of the coalition. “While our reasons for wanting to know what is in our food may vary, the one thing no one can debate is that it is our right to know. Without labeling of GE foods, we cannot make informed choices about the foods we eat and we all should have this choice while the debate continues.”

About America’s Best Organics and Best Organics Inc.
America’s Best Organics is a new gift basket brand presented by Best Organics Inc. of Boulder, CO. Best Organics, a majority woman-owned company, is a leading provider of hand-packed, organic and eco-friendly gift collections featuring gourmet organic foods, personal care and other items from local, regional and U.S.-based producers and leading brands. Its gift collections are presented in beautifully illustrated, reusable gift boxes, and are available online at www.AmericasBestOrganics.com, and for corporate gifting. The company's Boulder's Best Organics gift box collections, featuring organic products from Boulder and the Rocky Mountain region, are featured in Alfalfa's Market, a leading natural and organic products retailer in Boulder. Best Organics Inc. is a member of the Organic Trade Association, Colorado Proud, and Naturally Boulder, and is a Green America-approved business. Contact seleyn@americasbestorganics.com or call 303.499.ORGANIC (6742).

About The Just Label It: We Have a Right to Know Campaign. A June 2011 survey conducted by ABCNEWS.com shows that 93% of Americans support mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods. Yet for 20 years we have been denied that right. While our reasons for wanting to know what’s in our food may vary, what unifies many of us is the belief that it’s our right to know. Without labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods, we cannot make informed choices about the food we eat. The Just Label It: We Have a Right to Know campaign was created to advocate for the labeling of GE foods. In addition to America’s Best Organics, the coalition's nearly 400 members are diverse, and include the American Nurses Association, breastcancer.org, Center for Food Safety, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union (publishers of Consumer Reports), Franciscan Action Network, National Cooperative Grocers Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Working Group, Rodale Institute, numerous food companies and many more. For a complete list, visit justlabelit.org/about/partners. For more information, visit www.justlabelit.org.