HEB continues to hide behind the FDA's sham assessment that GMOs are safe and deflect customer concern to other food safety issues. They also refuse to acknowledge that as genetic pollution increases, organics will also become contaminated. Availability of organic produce in many of their stores is woefully inadequate and little organic processed food appears on HEB shelves. HEB consumers basically have no choice but to buy the unlabeled, GMO contaminated food that fills their stores.
HEB has made several revisions to their consumer response letter since early May 2001. Please let SAY NO TO GMOS! know if you have received a version different from those posted below.
Most Recent Response
Dear ________________:
Hello, and thank you for contacting us at our H-E-B Web Site. We always appreciate hearing from our Friends and Customers.
Thank you for your letter expressing concern about genetically engineered food products. Our first commitment is to the safety of our Customers. The FDA has determined that genetically modified foods are safe and do not require special labeling unless they have a significantly different nutritional composition. However, we are continuing to study all aspects of the genetic modification issue and are actively seeking input from a wide range of customers and scientists.
The large variety of organic products we carry are to help meet your desire to purchase GE-free products. We typically stock from 40-65 organic items in our Produce Departments and currently carry 39 organic products in our Grocery Departments. Recently published USDA regulations prohibit organic products to be produced using recombinant DNA technology. We also carry natural beef and hormone-free poultry. The Nature's Harvest Departments located in some of our larger stores provide an even wider variety of organic items. Although we would like to make complete product offerings available in all stores, the limited space in some stores makes this impossible.
We have a Quality Assurance Lab dedicated to conducting regular food safety screenings of the products we offer for sale to assure we have the highest quality food available to our Customers. In addition, we have a staff of food safety experts who routinely inspect all of our stores to insure they are complying with all of H-E-B's rigorous food safety requirements.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this issue. We look forward to each future opportunity to serve you.
H-E-B is proud to serve you as our Customer and we will look forward to all future opportunities we may have to serve you. We genuinely value your comments and your business. As we strive to deliver superior Customer Service, we encourage you to continue letting us know how we can serve you better.
Sincerely,
Cathy
Customer Relations Specialist
H-E-B Customer Relations
Third Response
Tue, 03 Jul 2001
CUSTOMER.RELATIONS@heb.com wrote:
Dear ________________:
Hello, and thank you for contacting us at our H-E-B Web Site. We always appreciate hearing from our Friends and Customers.
Thank you for your letter expressing concern about genetically engineered food products. This is a very complicated issue and we hear strong opinions expressed by both sides. We are continuing to study all aspects of the recombinant DNA issue and are actively seeking input from a wide range of Customers.
The large variety of organic products we carry may help meet your desire to purchase GE-free products. We typically stock from 40-65 organic items in our Produce Departments and currently carry 39 organic products in our Grocery Departments. We also carry organic beef and hormone-free poultry. Although we would like to make complete product offerings available in all stores, the limited space in some stores makes this impossible. The Nature's Harvest Departments located in some of our larger stores provide an even wider variety of organic items. As you know, according to the new USDA guidelines, organic products cannot be produced using recombinant DNA technology.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this very difficult issue. We look forward to each future opportunity to serve you.
H-E-B is proud to serve you as our Customer and we will look forward to all future opportunities we may have to serve you. We genuinely value your comments and your business. As we strive to deliver superior Customer Service, we encourage you to continue letting us know how we can serve you better.
Sincerely,
Amy
Lead Customer Relations Specialist
H-E-B Customer Relations
Second Response
From: CUSTOMER.RELATIONS@heb.com
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001
Subject: FW:Genetically Modified Foods
Dear ____________:
Thank you for your recent correspondence expressing concerns about genetic engineering. This is a complicated and controversial issue. Our customers have a wide range of opinions about genetic engineering, both pro and con. Your input is valuable in helping us understand more about the way this issue affects the people who shop in our stores.
H-E-B is dedicated to providing our customers with a safe food supply and we work hard on those things within our control that affects food safety. For example, we have extensive quality and safety testing programs for produce and meat. Food safety in our stores is supported by a team of Sanitarians who conduct training for our store Partners and rigorous routine inspections. However, in some areas of food safety we must rely on the judgement of government agencies that have been given the responsibility to insure the safety of the US food supply. For example, the FDA is responsible for insuring the quality of the packaged food we sell from national brand manufacturers.
You expressed a desire to be able to purchase food that has not been produced using genetic engineering. We support freedom of choice for our Customers. However, as you know, foods produced using genetic engineering are difficult for our Customers to identify because labeling is not legally required.
FDA is the agency responsible for labeling regulations that cover much of the food we sell. They have ruled that foods produced using bioengineering, as a class, do not "differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way ". FDA's position is that they cannot, under current food laws, require bioengineered foods to be labeled as such unless the bioengineering has significantly changed the composition or nutritional content or has introduced an allergen. The FDA position makes it difficult for Customers like you who are trying to identify foods produced using bioengineering.
There are some hopeful developments. FDA has recently proposed labeling guidelines to be used on food not produced with genetic engineering. Also, organic standards recently published by the USDA specifically forbid genetic engineering in products labeled as "organic". Nationally, sales of organic products have been increasing at about 20% annually. We continue to increase the number of organic products available in our stores. With the new USDA standards this means that more and more non-genetically engineered products are available.
H-E-B has taken a cautious approach to genetic engineering where we have control. We have requested our milk supplier to not supply us with milk from any cows treated with rBGH. Also, the corn in the tortilla chips we manufacture is from a source-controlled/tested supply so we can protect our Customers from exposure to StarLink corn.
For more information on FDA's labeling position we suggest you contact them at www.fda.gov.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this very difficult issue. We look forward to each future opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
H-E-B Customer Relations
First Response
Date: Tue, 1 May 2001
From: CUSTOMER.RELATIONS@heb.com
Dear _______________:
Hello, and thank you for contacting us at our H-E-B Web Site. We always appreciate hearing from our friends and Customers.
Thank you for sharing your concerns about genetically modified organisms in food products. Product labeling has emerged as the greatest debate in discussions about this technology. Many consumers are beginning to ask questions about whether the products they purchase contain ingredients that have been genetically engineered. Attached is some information addressing this issue I hope you will find helpful.
The FDA in two circumstances requires special labels on biotechnology products: One is if the characteristics significantly differ from what is normally expected or, if safety issues arise. Milk, eggs, wheat, fish, crustacia, tree nuts and peanuts are all common allergens. If any possible allergens are inserted into a product that would not normally be an ingredient, the product must be labeled to inform sensitive consumers. Following is some helpful information provided by the Food Marketing Institute, of which H-E-B is a member and supporter.
* The food industry supports the Government's process to assure that necessary steps are taken to ensure consumer protection, along with a safe and plentiful food supply.
* The food industry supports voluntary labeling of foods produced without the use of biotechnology as a way to inform those consumers who prefer not to purchase such foods.
* Food biotechnology employs the tools of modern genetics in the process of food production. For a more detailed explanation of the process, you may refer to FMI's biotechnology backgrounder available on the FMI Web site http://www.fmi.org/ or through FMI's Communications Department.
* Foods developed through biotechnology face the same regulatory requirements the FDA uses to safeguard all foods.
FDA's guidelines for plant varieties developed through biotechnology are:
* Genetically modified food products will be regulated in the same way as foods produced by other methods.
* Products will be judged on their individual safety and nutrition.
* New ingredients added to food through biotechnology will be subject to FDA pre-market approval.
* While FDA is the primary organization regulating bio-engineered food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) all play a role in regulating the research and development of food biotechnology products and its impact on the environment.
Resources for more information:
* Food and Drug Administration:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/biotechm.html
* International Food Information Council:
http://ificinfo.health.org/foodbiotech/whatexpertssay.htm
* U.S. Department of Agriculture:
http://www.usda.gov/news/bioqa.htm
* Biotechnology Industries Organization:
http://www.bio.org/food&ag/foodwelcome.html
If you would like additional information, you may write or contact FMI at the address below:
Carole M. Throssell, Director, Media Relations, Food Marketing Institute
800 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20006
Ph: 202-429-8226
Fax: 202-429-8272
e-mail: cthrossell@fmi.org
web: http://www.fmi.org/
Thank you again for writing, and for shopping at H-E-B. We value you as our Customer, and genuinely appreciate your comments and your business. We will look forward to all future opportunities we may have to serve you.
Sincerely,
Julie
Senior Customer Relations Specialist
H-E-B Customer Relations
top of page
