AS part of new guidelines from the National Organic Program (NOP), several chains, like Kroger, are upping grocery standards.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) enacted new regulations this week to make American food labels carry more weight.
The initiative intends to protect people’s health while building their trust in organic labels.
The NOP said these regulations aim to prevent non-certified organic suppliers from slipping through the cracks and onto store shelves.
Stores like H-E-B, Kroger, and Whole Foods Market verified their compliance and cooperation with the USDA’s standards.
According to H-E-B’s website, the store’s organic products are at least 95% organic and meet the USDA’s standards which ban GMO use.
Whole Foods offers three organic label claims:
- 100% Organic (100% organic ingredients)
- Organic (95% or more organic ingredients)
- Made with Organic (70% or more organic ingredients)
Kroger also prohibits GMOs in its organic foods on its page.
The chain says higher costs in growing practices may result in more expensive price tags on these items.
However, Kroger expressed it didn’t expect any price hikes to result from the new NOA regulations in a statement to KHOU-TV.
The U.S. Sun contacted H-E-B, Kroger, and Whole Foods for a comment.
The USDA offers a full list of national and prohibited substances.
NOP EXPLAINED
The National Organic Program is a federal regulatory agency organized by the USDA to govern organic food circulation.
The organization works to enforce “consistent national standards” for organically manufactured products sold in the US.
Dr. Jennifer Tucker, a Deputy Administrator, explained NOP’s goal to ensure consumers’ confidence when buying organically-labeled items.
“It is a federally protected seal which means we can use the full weight of the law to prosecute violators of the standards,” she told KHOU, the CBS affiliate in Houston, Texas.
“So if someone is selling organic that isn’t certified or isn’t following the rules we have a lot of power as the federal government to protect that product and hold people accountable for any fraud or violations of the standards.”
She emphasized how a shopper might find many different labels while running errands, but organic rules have existed for 20 years.
“Over those 20 years, we’ve learned a lot about how the organic market works as it has continued to grow.”
SPROUTING STORES
Whole Foods, an Amazon-owned grocer giant since 2017, recently announced its first Whole Foods Market Daily Shop in New York.
The new minimart format is meant to function as a convenience store so customers can grab their items on the go.
While an official opening date hasn’t been revealed yet, the store is expected to be up and running this year.
Product offerings will feature soups, sandwiches, smoothies, desserts, fresh pressed juices, and more.
An order mixup led one Kroger customer to switch to Walmart.
Meanwhile, a Trader Joe’s employee revealed why customers hear different bell signals while shopping.