Whole Foods Reportedly Ditching Chobani Over GMO Concerns

Some advocacy groups have expressed concern that the milk used in Chobani comes from cows who eat feed with genetically modified ingredients.

If Chobani’s recall woes weren’t enough, the maker of the Greek-style yogurt may also be losing an important retail partner with Whole Foods reportedly planning to stop shelving the stuff in the coming year over concerns about genetically modified content.

The Wall Street Journal reports that while Chobani contends that its yogurt contains only natural ingredients, some claim the company gets its milk from cows who chow down on feed containing genetically modified items.

However, the Journal’s sources say that Whole Foods will continue to carry Fage brand yogurt, even though that may have the same GMO concerns as Chobani. But the long-term strategy, explain the insiders, is to replace these popular brands that are now available at most major supermarket chains with more niche products that are truly organic and contain no GMO content.

For those small companies, it would be a coup to land a shelf spot at the nation’s largest high-end grocery chain, while it would be a kick in the pants (if not the wallet) to Chobani and other larger brands.

A rep for Chobani tells the Journal the company hopes to keep its partnership going with Whole Foods.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist