1.Kashi cereal's 'natural' claims stir anger
2.Co-Op to stock fewer Kashi products after GMO flap

EXTRACTS: Many posters on the Kashi site seemed especially angry about the presence of genetically engineered soy in some of its cereals. One wrote that by marketing its products as whole foods and healthy, but choosing genetically engineered soybeans as an ingredient, the company had destroyed people's trust in its product.

Kellogg's got itself into trouble by "not being entirely transparent," says Roger Nyhus, president of Nyhus Communications in Seattle. He sees a trend among some companies "of fudging language to allay consumer concerns and jump on the green bandwagon, and I think it's starting to backfire."
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1.Kashi cereal's 'natural' claims stir anger
Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY, 29 April 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/story/2012-04-29/kashi-natural-claims/54616576/1

Kellogg's is facing anger on social media sites because of complaints that its popular Kashi brand of cold cereals doesn't live up to the company's "natural" billing on advertisements and box covers.

The controversy went viral a week ago after a Rhode Island grocer tacked a note to one of his store shelves, telling customers he wouldn't sell the cereal because he found out the brand used genetically engineered, non-organic ingredients. 

Photos of the note began popping up on Facebook pages and food blogs as some consumers claimed Kellogg's was misrepresenting its cereal.

Kashi has done nothing wrong, says David Desouza, Kashi general manager. "The FDA has chosen not to regulate the term 'natural.'" The company defines natural as "food that's minimally processed, made with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners."

Nevertheless, some consumers say they felt duped into believing the cereal was organic and free from genetically modified ingredients because of Kellogg's use of the word on packaging and its website.

They've taken to the digital streets with their anger, posting on Kashi's own Facebook page, as well as the pages of several organic cereal makers and organic stores. News media have begun picking up the story.

Kellogg's is not misleading people, says Barbara Haumann of the Organic Trade Association in Brattleboro, Vt. Consumers "are totally confused" and don't understand that the only way to get organic food it to buy organic, she says.

The shelf tag wasn't meant "to stir up trouble or cause controversy," says John Wood, owner of The Green Grocer, in Portsmouth, R.I. Wood is the grocer who refused to sell the cereal and posted the note in his store to customers.

He made the decision to remove Kashi after reading a report about what "natural" means on the cereal aisle by The Cornucopia Institute, an organic and agriculture policy group.

Many posters on the Kashi site seemed especially angry about the presence of genetically engineered soy in some of its cereals. One wrote that by marketing its products as whole foods and healthy, but choosing genetically engineered soybeans as an ingredient, the company had destroyed people's trust in its product.

Desouza says consumers who want "clear and specific guidance" about genetically modified ingredients can look to U.S. organic regulations, which prohibit their use.

Kellogg's got itself into trouble by "not being entirely transparent," says Roger Nyhus, president of Nyhus Communications in Seattle. He sees a trend among some companies "of fudging language to allay consumer concerns and jump on the green bandwagon, and I think it's starting to backfire."

Consumers drawn to a "natural" marketing message could also have their anger fueled by a sense that they were buying from a "small, pure" company. "They disdain large corporate entities" and now they find that Kashi "is in fact part of this big, multinational conglomerate," says Pam Danziger, a marketing expert with Unity Marketing in Stevens, Pa.

Kashi's Desouza says that the company has launched an initiative to ensure that by the beginning of 2015 at least half of new Kashi products will "contain at least 70% USDA organic certified ingredients."
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2.People's Food Co-Op to stock fewer Kashi products after GMO flap
Yvonne Zipp
MLive, April 28 2012
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/04/peoples_food_co-op_to_stock_fe.html

Cinnamon Harvest is one of seven Kashi cereals that have been verified by the Non-GMO Project.
KALAMAZOO, MI Shoppers at the People's Food Co-Op will be seeing fewer boxes of Kashi products on shelves in coming weeks.

This week, a social media flap erupted about the presence of genetically modified soy and pesticides in Kashi products tested by the Cornucopia Institute.

“If we know it's GMO, we're not going to carry it,” said Chris Dilley, general manager of the Co-Op, at 507 Harrison St., in Kalamazoo.

Kashi, which is owned by the Kellogg Co. in Battle Creek, has built a reputation for healthy, all-natural ingredients. Angry Kashi customers took to Facebook and Twitter, with a #boycottkashi hashtag and more than 200 comments on its Facebook page.

“I plan on returning the Kashi cereal I have in my cupboard. As far as I'm concerned, 'healthy' and 'GMO soy” CANNOT be used in the same sentence,” read one.

The study was conducted in October 2011, but a picture posted online by the Green Grocer in Portsmouth, N.H., explaining why it elected to pull Kashi from its shelves, went viral after a green blog wrote an article about it. 

Dilley said the Co-Op has been getting questions this week on its own Facebook page.

“Now that it's verified that there are GMOs, for us, that kicks it over the line into our product policy,” said Dilley, adding that the news “is definitely affecting our choices about what we're going to stock from Kashi, for sure.”

General Manager Chris Dilley has said the People's Food Co-Op will be stocking fewer Kashi products after a study revealed the presence of GMOs and pesticides.

The Co-Op, which is a member of the Cornucopia Institute, won't be pulling products off the shelves immediately, but its customers should see the change in coming weeks.

Kashi, which is owned by the Kellogg Co. in Battle Creek, has announced that it is working with the Non-GMO project. So far, seven of its 84 products have been verified as GMO-free: 7 Whole Grain Flakes, 7 Whole Grain Pilaf, 7 Whole Grain Puffs, Autumn Wheat, Cinnamon Harvest, Island Vanilla and Strawberry Fields.

“For more than 25 years, Kashi has committed to making high quality foods with positive nutrition. Because more than 80 percent of the crops grown in North America are grown using GMOs, some Kashi foods may contain GMO ingredients. We care about this issue and that's why we've partnered with the Non-GMO Project,” said Tara Reid, director of consumer products and services, in an email. The company has also posted an official response on YouTube. “Seven Kashi cereals are now Non-GMO Project Verified, and we are continuing to work through the process with many of our other foods. The safety and quality of our foods is a top priority, and we maintain stringent standards to ensure all of our foods are safe to enjoy.”

Having been open for 76 years, Sawall Health Foods in Oakwood Plaza has seen a number of these food-related controversies over the decades. 

"I certainly understand the consumer advocacy," said Mark Sawall. "The people that really need to be pressured aren't Kellogg's. The people that need to be pressured are the large conglomerate farms."

Sawall isn't yanking anything off the shelf just yet.
"We're still trying to figure out what's going on with the products they have in the pipleline waiting to be verified," said Sawall. "We're checking with Kellogg's now. As of now, we aren't pulling products from our shelves." 

While Sawall said he is certainly in favor of moving away from GMOs, he hopes customers understand that it could take a number of years for the industry to find adequate supplies of non-GMO soy and other ingredients and go through the verification process. 

"If there's somebody trying to vilify Kashi, you would have to vilify 90 percent of the food grown in the United States," said Sawall. 

For his part, while he said he “can understand” the consumer indignation, Dilley said, “I give Kashi – and through them, Kellogg – some credit for starting this process.”