NCGA Announces Effort to Raise $75,000 for Just Label It

IOWA CITY, IA (August 1, 2013) – National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops across the United States, today announced plans to raise $75,000 this October to support the Just Label It campaign.

According to Just Label It, a national coalition of more than 650 organizations, over 90% of Americans want foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to be labeled.

Representing 134 food co-ops in 36 states with combined annual sales of more than $1.5 billion, NCGA has been working for years on a national level to ensure food labels provide consumers with information about what’s in their food and where it comes from.

“Food co-ops exist to serve their members,” said Robynn Shrader, chief executive officer for NCGA. “And the message nationwide from co-op shoppers has been and continues to be clear: shoppers want to know if foods contain GMOs. Whether they choose to buy GMO foods or not, consumers have the right to make informed choices about what they eat.”

In October, NCGA is partnering with ten manufacturers whose products are Non-GMO Project verified and/or certified organic to raise the donation for the Just Label It campaign and bring consumer awareness to the issue. Participating brands include Dream, Endangered Species Chocolate, Garden of Eatin’, Harvest Bay, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods, Nature’s Path Organic, Organic Valley, Silk, Spectrum and Wholesome Sweeteners.

“We’re proud to play a role in the groundswell of businesses, consumers and organizations that are uniting behind one of the most important food issues we face today,” said Shrader.

About Just Label It

Just Label It – www.justlabelit.org – is a coalition of more than 650 partner organizations representing the health care community, consumer advocates, farmers, concerned parents, environmentalists, food and farming organizations, retailers, businesses, the faith-based community, and many more concerned with protecting the consumer’s right to know. These organizations have joined together in support of an FDA petition and the mandatory labeling of GE foods.

About Non-GMO Project and Non-GMO Month

The Non-GMO Project – America’s only third-party verification system and for labeling non-GMO food and products – launched Non-GMO Month in October 2010 as a platform for raising consumer awareness of the importance of knowing what’s in the food they eat.

About NCGA

National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCGA helps unify food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. Our 134 member and associate co-ops operate 171 storefronts in 36 states with combined annual sales over $1.5 billion. NCGA is a winner of the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence in recognition of the application of cooperative values and principles to drive cooperative and business success. In 2012, NCGA became a Certified B Corporation, a rigorous certification that recognizes business standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. For a map of NCGA member and associate co-ops, visit www.ncga.coop. To learn more about co-ops, visit www.strongertogether.coop or www.go.coop.