Whole Foods Market(R) Partners With Non-GMO Project to Label Company's Private Label...

Whole Foods Market(R) Partners With Non-GMO Project to Label Company's Private
Label Food Products Using New Third-Party Standard
Whole Foods Market Encourages Other Retailers & Branded Product Manufacturers
to Make Similar Commitment to Non-GMO Food Supply Chain

AUSTIN, Texas, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq:
WFMI), the leading natural and organic grocer, today announced a commitment to
the Non-GMO Project - a non-profit collaboration of manufacturers, retailers,
processors, distributors, farmers, seed breeders and consumers - to use the
Non-GMO's Product Verification Program (PVP) in connection with Whole Foods
Market's private label products.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090707/DA42720)

The PVP is the nation's first system designed to scientifically test whether a
product has met a set of defined standards for the presence of genetically
engineered organisms.

"From the moment GMOs were approved for use in the U.S., we recognized the
need for transparency, but there was no definitive standard by which to
evaluate or label products," said Margaret Wittenberg, Whole Foods Market
global vice president of quality standards. "We searched high and low for
years for a way to do this and now, thankfully, the Non-GMO Project has
answered that challenge by creating a standard and a practical system by which
manufacturers may measure their products. At last, shoppers concerned about
foods made with genetically modified ingredients will be able to make informed
choices."

According to the FDA, as much as 75 percent of processed food in the United
States may contain components from genetically modified crops. Despite the
abundance of products with genetically modified ingredients, a Pew Initiative
study on Food and Biotechnology shows that 59 percent of Americans are
unfamiliar with the issue of genetically modified ingredients in food.

"In 30 other countries around the world, including Australia, Japan and all of
the nations in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or
outright bans on the production of GMOs, due to environmental impact and
concerns about GMO safety," said Megan Thompson, executive director of the
Non-GMO Project.

While Federal law requires organic producers to comply with certain non-GMO
requirements identified in the USDA organic standards, there is no standard
for labeling GMOs in non-organic products.

The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to allowing
consumers to make informed choices and to working toward the sustained
availability of non-GMO options. Whole Foods Market is a member of the group,
which is a collaboration of manufacturers, retailers, processors,
distributors, farmers, seed breeders and consumers. Together these members
have established a working standard and have developed North America's first
independent third-party Product Verification Program.

The PVP uses a process that combines on-site facility audits, document-based
review and DNA testing to measure compliance with the standard. For a product
to bear the seal it must undergo a process through which any ingredient at
high risk for genetic contamination - soy or corn, for example - has been
shown to meet the non-GMO standard through avoidance practices and testing.

Once a product has been approved through the PVP it can be described as being
verified by the Non-GMO Project and/or be labeled with the Non-GMO Project's
compliance seal. The first Whole Foods Market private label products to bear
this seal are expected to be in stores before the end of the year.

"Since there is no U.S. regulation regarding disclosure on products
manufactured with GMO ingredients, we are committed to helping our shoppers
make confident choices by knowing that what they are buying has been verified
as meeting the standards of the non-GMO Project," said Michael Besancon,
senior global vice president of purchasing at Whole Foods Market. "We are
excited to partner with the Non-GMO Project, and we strongly encourage other
manufacturers and retailers to act now and submit their products to the PVP as
well. Taking a stand together will make a more significant impact on our
overall food supply, which will help the environment and consumer choice in
the marketplace."

Whole Foods Market applauds The Natural Grocery Company, The Big Carrot
Natural Food Market and Good Earth Natural Foods, the early partners of the
Non-GMO Project, and the companies that have lent major support to the project
and participated in the initial piloting of the PVP including Eden Foods,
Organic Valley, Lundberg Family Farms, Nature's Path Organic and United
Natural Foods, Inc. Together with numerous other companies and organizations,
they created an authoritative non-GMO standard.

Whole Foods Market invites the industry to join an educational webinar on
Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. CDT, to learn more about the Non-GMO Project and
the PVP. Webinar details are available at
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/nongmoproject.

"As you can imagine, the level of diligence involved will require an enormous
amount of effort at every step in the manufacturing process," said Joe
Dickson, Whole Foods Market quality standards coordinator and Non-GMO Project
board member. "The more participation we have in the program, the more rapidly
the industry will realize efficiencies. Economies of scale will ultimately
have a real and lasting impact on the available supply of non-GMO
ingredients."

Since 2004 Whole Foods Market strives to offer private label products made
with ingredients that have not been genetically modified. By using a system
that includes the evaluation of products, ingredients and manufacturing
facilities through audits, on-site facility inspections and testing, Whole
Foods Market is furthering that commitment.

About Whole Foods Market(R)
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market
(www.wholefoodsmarket.com), a leader in the natural and organic foods industry
and America's first national certified organic grocer, was named "America's
Healthiest Grocery Store" in 2008 by Health magazine. The Whole Foods Market
motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"(TM) captures the company's
mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee
excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and
environmental improvement. Thanks to its more than 50,000 Team Members, Whole
Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in
America by FORTUNE magazine for 12 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2008, the
company had sales of $8 billion and currently has more than 275 stores in the
United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Fresh &
Wild(TM), and Harry's Farmers Market(R) are trademarks owned by Whole Foods
Market IP, LP. Wild Oats(R) and Capers Community Market(TM) are trademarks
owned by Wild Marks, Inc.

Contacts: kate.lowery@wholefoods.com - 512 542 0390
nona.evans@wholefoods.com - 512 542 0794

SOURCE Whole Foods Market

kate.lowery@wholefoods.com, +1-512-542-0390, or nona.evans@wholefoods.com,
+1-512-542-0794, both of Whole Foods Market