• MSNBC, Wednesday, June 23, 2010 10:30 AM

Jennifer Alsever reports that by the fall, as many as 200 products -- including Nature's Path, Lundberg Family Farms and Earth Balance -- will hit store shelves carrying a new "Non-GMO Project" food label, certifying that an independent lab has tested and confirmed the product contains no bioengineered ingredients.

Whole Foods will roll out an in-store educational campaign backed by Web site articles and newsletters -- touting non-GMO foods. "The public is becoming more aware," says Libba Letton, spokeswoman for the 297-store chain. "Consumers are wanting to be educated about it and wanting to make informed choices."

Sales of products with "GMO-free" claims on their package labels grew 11.9% to $787 million over the past year, according to the Nielsen Co., which tracks consumer purchases. That's small compared to the $26.6 billion organic food industry and the $284.1 billion overall grocery store food market. Yet GMO-free is now the fastest-growing health and wellness claim touted by private store labels.

Read the whole story at MSNBC »