An Open Letter To Wegmans On Their New Line Of Meatless Alternatives

Last updated on April 1, 2019

Wegmans’ Supermarkets has announced a new line of meatless alternatives: Don’t Be A Piggy, Don’t Have A Cow, and Don’t Be Chicken; mock sausage, beef and chicken, respectively, obviously. Personally I find the names a bit…offensive..however I’m all for a healthy meat substitute. I wondered what they were made of, doubting they were non-GMO. What a surprise: their website clearly states that the “soy is not genetically modified,” but the complete ingredient list is not posted. I’d like to know if this is preying on the publics’ misconception that only soy is potentially a GMO, or if Wegmans is the real deal and has truly created a product – while maybe not organic – is really GMO free.

The product blurb from the Wegman’s website, clearly stated that the soy is non-GMO “for those concerned.” But, hey – I’m concerned about other GMO ingredients, too! It turns out I had cause to be.

So I drafted Wegman’s the following letter, in good faith:

“As a nutritionist and GMO labeling advocate for NOFA-New Jersey, I am concerned about the presence of GMOs, especially in soy. Can you provide me with an ingredient list for your new line of meatless alternatives: Don’t Be a Piggy, Don’t Be Chicken and Don’t Have A Cow? Your website states they are made from GMO-free soy, but I am wondering if they have any corn, etc. in the ingredients, and if this, too, is GMO. I hope so, for it seems a terrific product!”

Let’s see what, if any, response I receive. For now I would be wary of this product.
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First update: Within minutes of putting this blog post on Twitter, I received a response from Wegman’s (via Twitter). It said:
“@HealthyAuthor Hello, this information may be of help to you…
http://cot.ag/1aYq9qs”
The link was to their website which provided some information on their stance on GMOs and GMO labeling. It said the following:

“Our Position on GMO Labeling
For those who are especially concerned about purchasing non-GMO products, labeling is already in place – just look for Certified Organic products (example A; example B used on seafood). This is your guarantee that the products weren’t grown from GMO seeds or produced with any GMO ingredients. Organic options are now available in every product category, and for ease of shopping, we bring many of them together in our Nature’s Marketplace department. We also operate our own organic farm and partner with local growers on some of the growing methods we have adopted at the farm.
You’ll seldom find GMOs in the Produce Department. However, a few of our local growers select genetically engineered green squash and sweet corn to help resist insects.
We support transparency in labeling.  We also understand that some consumers want to know if a product contains GMOs. But in order to label a product as GMO-free, you’d need testing and tracking of ingredients along the entire supply chain, which is costly, or development of reliable testing for highly processed ingredients, like corn syrup.  (Corn syrup, soybean, canola, and corn oil are four of the most common ingredients made from GE crops.) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the World Health Organization all have stated that these products are safe for consumption.”

While I appreciate Wegmans broaching the topic on their website and making some attempt to inform their consumers, this statement seems a bit slippery to me. The FDA is increasingly being challenged on its outdated position that GMOs are considered “safe.” In addition, more transparency on Wegman’s part regarding the snowballing GMO labeling movement in the U.S. would have made them more proactive and progressive.

11/18/2013 – Second update:

While I have yet to receive a reply from Wegman’s, I did go to their store to do some investigating and check out the ingredient list from the back of “Don’t Be Chicken.”

Here is a typical example of a corporation preying on the consumers’ lack of education!

WHY WOULD WEGMAN’S MAKE A POINT OF ADVERTISING THAT THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NON-GMO SOY WHEN IT ALSO CONTAINS CONVENTIONAL CANOLA OIL? (One of the top 5 GMO products!) THEY ARE CLEARLY TRYING TO PASS THIS OFF AS A GMO-FREE PRODUCT!

Also listed was Organic Cane Sugar; a quality ingredient, yes, but one- along with the Non-GMO soy – that misleads the consumer into believing that this product is Non-GMO. Wegman’s, I would like to see you come clean on this issue. While it’s true that you never state that this product is Non-GMO, the information you put forth is clearly misleading to the consumer.

To the consumer, your best defense is to be informed! The top 5 GMO crops are: corn, canola, soy, sugar beets and cotton (i.e. cottonseed oil). You can avoid GMOs by purchasing 100% certified organic foods and/or products that are labeled Non-GMO. To educate yourself further on this topic, start with my article: 5 Things You Need To Know About GMOs Right Now!

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