Trader Joe's Supermarket Chain Goes
GE Free After Pressure Campaign by
Greenpeace, OCA & Other Groups

Grocery Chain Trader Joe's Drops Gene-Altered Food

Shift Away From GE Food Goes Mainstream With Company's Announcement
Move Follows Year-Long Campaign by Greenpeace and Other Groups
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/press_releases/01_11_14.htm

Los Angeles, CA, November 14, 2001 - A year-long campaign to force
Trader Joe's to drop its use of genetically engineered (GE)
ingredients in its store brand products ended today as the mainstream
grocery chain announced it would do just that, "effective
immediately." According to the company statement, "...we will work
with any new vendor to produce private label products for Trader Joe's
without genetically engineered ingredients. Our goal for existing
private label products is to have all such products reformulated, if
necessary, and certified within one year." Eighty-five percent of the
products sold at Trader Joe's stores will be affected by this policy
change as they carry the company name brand.

The company says the change is the result of "talking with our
customers," and finding that "it is clear ... that if given the
opportunity, the majority of our customers would prefer to have
products made without genetically engineered ingredients."

"This announcement marks the first time a mainstream grocery chain has
dropped genetically engineered ingredients in response to consumer
demand," said Heather Whitehead of the Greenpeace Genetic Engineering
Campaign. "By responding to its customers, Trader Joe's has set an
industry standard and has helped put other mainstream retailers on
notice."

During an exit strategy discussion with a Greenpeace representative, a
Trader Joe's spokesperson acknowledged that 90 to 95 percent of
customers said they wanted the chain to stop using genetically
engineered ingredients.

Trader Joe's has almost 200 stores in 15 states located primarily on
the East and West Coasts. The company sells mainly its own brand
products and a good selection of organic and natural foods. Its two
main competitors are Safeway and Whole Foods. Whole Foods has
already gone non-GE in its store brand products.

"Greenpeace will be looking at other retailers still using genetically
engineered foods to determine where to apply pressure next," added
Whitehead. "With Trader Joe's getting rid of gene-altered ingredients,
grocery chains in the U.S. can no longer say, 'We can't do it in this
country.'"

Greenpeace, along with several grassroots groups that formed the
GE-Free Market Coalition, have focused attention on Trader Joe's for
the past year. The coalition includes GE-Free L.A, Organic Consumers
Association, GE-Free Marin, NW RAGE, BAN NY, Genetic Engineering
Action Network, GeneWise (Chicago), and the Boston Safe Foods
Campaign. Thousands of consumers around the country have participated
in the effort by sending faxes, e-mails and letters to the company,
and by protesting outside Trader Joe's stores in over 20 cities.

CONTACT:

Craig Culp, Greenpeace, (202) 319-2461, (202) 251-6296 (mobile);

Heather Whitehead (415) 255-9221, ext. 312.

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TRADER JOE'S ON GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS
http://www.traderjoes.com/tj/new/gmf.html

MONROVIA, CA NOVEMBER 13, 2001. Over the last several months,
we at Trader Joe's have been talking with our customers, reviewing food
production methods with our vendors and studying the issues related to
genetically engineered foods. While there is a great deal of passion
regarding this matter among customers and the public at large, it is
clear to us that if given the opportunity, the majority of our
customers would prefer to have products made without genetically
engineered ingredients.

Accordingly, we announce today a change in our approach to products
in our Trader Joe's label (private label products). Effective
immediately, we will work with any new vendor to produce private label
products for Trader Joe's without genetically engineered ingredients.
Our goal for existing private label products is to have all such
products reformulated, if necessary, and certified within one year.

We will develop a program of random testing to verify the
certifications and on-going compliance of our vendors. However, there
is no system in the United States to completely guard against
"adventitious contamination" from the genetic drift by genetically
engineered crop to non-genetically engineered crops. Therefore, it is
not possible for any supplier or retailer to realistically offer any
guarantee that their products are "GMO-free."

Currently, there are no recognized U.S. government standards regarding
the labeling of genetically engineered foods. We encourage our
customers to write to their congressional representatives, the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) to let them know how you feel about genetic engineering of the
food supply and the lack of labeling standards for such products.
Only by developing a national standard related to this issue can food
retailers and suppliers provide customers with products and
information so they can make informed choices when purchasing food for
themselves and their families.