PCC says no to cloned animal products

PCC Natural Markets is prohibiting suppliers from using cloned animal products in their food. It also wants them to disclose where ingredients are from and what they mean by terms such as "natural flavors."

These moves come months after the Seattle chain eliminated high-fructose corn syrup from its eight stores and began identifying the countries of origin for its meat, seafood, peanuts and fresh and frozen produce.

Although the 2002 Farm Bill called for mandatory country-of-origin labeling for those products, the law has not been implemented and is being reworked as part of the 2007 Farm Bill still being considered in Congress.

"The failure of our regulatory agencies to mandate full disclosure of food ingredients makes it incumbent on leaders in the natural-foods industry to step forward and provide what our consumers want," PCC Chief Executive Tracy Wolpert said in a news release Tuesday.

PCC will continue selling food from China, unlike Trader Joe's, which said last year it would phase out single-ingredient food items from mainland China by April 1 because of customer concerns.

Much food that is certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture comes from other countries, including China. Read more..
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