Walmart to Stock GM Corn

As the season of sweet corn begins and the Midwest drought continues, consumers now have a new thing to worry about: Walmart will now be stocking sweet corn produced by the global biotechnology giant and seed company, Monsanto.

This move was met with strong disapproval from health and environmental activists. These activists have been successful in convincing General Mills, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and several other grocery chains not to sell Monsanto's sweet corn. But, Walmart finds no reason to not stock it.

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So far, Monsanto's corn has been used in processed food and for fuel. This will be the first time that it will be stocked as fresh produce.

The battle against genetically modified (GM food) has been going since 1996 introduction into the food supply. Many believe that GM food increase the risk of food allergies, and adversely affect the soil it grows on.

But, none of these claims have been proven so far.

The main concern of consumers is the lack of a comprehensive labeling system which would help them inform about the normally grown, organic and GM food. The Groceries Manufacturers' Association (GMA), of which Monsanto and Walmart are members, is strongly lobbying against the labeling of GM food. They believe labeling would indicate that the food is unhealthy and the GMA says the GM food is not.

The state of California will be voting on whether to label GN food or not this fall.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Monsanto is not the first company to stock grocery store shelves with fresh produce of corn. Another biotech seed company Syngenta has been doing it for decades. But, Monsanto is facing the storm because of its aggressive marketing  and apparent lack of concern for consumers' health.