June, 27 2013, 07:30am EDT
OCA Names Top North American Right to Know Grocers
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today announced results of its search for the top Right to Know Grocers in North America. The winning food retailers were selected from more than 150 consumer nominations. The OCA named 12 overall winners - the "Diligent Dozen" - and 10 winners each in five regions: Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast and Southwest.
FINLAND, Minn.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today announced results of its search for the top Right to Know Grocers in North America. The winning food retailers were selected from more than 150 consumer nominations. The OCA named 12 overall winners - the "Diligent Dozen" - and 10 winners each in five regions: Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast and Southwest.
"As demand grows for organic, locally and sustainably grown, truthfully labeled non-GMO foods, hundreds of food retailers are rising to the occasion," said Ronnie Cummins, National Director. "The OCA wants to recognize the efforts these retailers are making, which include pressuring food manufacturers to transition from GMO to non-GMO ingredients, and providing consumers with clear labeling so they can make informed choices."
The OCA launched its Top Right to Know Grocers contest, a project of its Organic Retail and Consumer Alliance (ORCA) Campaign in March. Consumers were asked to nominate health food and natural health stores, food co-ops and CSAs that are making an honest effort to inform consumers about products they carry that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and those stores that are actively working toward GMO-free product lines. More than 360 consumers nominated a total of 156 stores. The OCA interviewed store owners and managers to confirm strategies and policies. The results of those interviews are published on the ORCA campaign page.
The top 12 overall winners are: Berkshire Organics Market & Deli, Dalton, Mass.; Dad's Organic Market, Saskatoon, Sask.; Good Earth Natural Foods, Fairfax, Calif.; Jimbo's Naturally, San Diego, Calif.; MOM's Organic Market, Baltimore, Md. & Washington, D.C.; Native Sun Natural Foods, Jacksonville, Fla.; Natural Grocery Company, El Cerrito & Berkeley, Calif.; Nature's Food Patch Market & Cafe, Clearwater, Fla.; Ocean Beach People's Organic Food Co-Op, San Diego, Calif.; Sundance Natural Foods, Eugene, Ore.; Sunspot Natural Market, West Lafayette, Ind.; and Terra Organica, Bellingham, Wash.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit public interest organization, and the only organization in the U.S. focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation's estimated 50 million consumers of organically and socially responsibly produced food and other products. OCA educates and advocates on behalf of organic consumers, engages consumers in marketplace pressure campaigns, and works to advance sound food and farming policy through grassroots lobbying. We address crucial issues around food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability, including pesticide use, and other food- and agriculture-related topics.
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