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Federal Appeals Court Sides With Natural Grocers® in GMO Labeling Case
A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of Natural Grocers®, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and other plaintiffs challenging U.S. Department of...
About this update from Natural Grocers By Vitamin Cottage, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Major win for food transparency advocates","length":41,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"LAKEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of Natural Grocers®, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), and other plaintiffs challenging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules under the Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard Act. Natural Grocers, the nation's largest family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer, led the lawsuit to uphold consumers' right to clear, accurate and easily accessible information about their food.","length":493,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Natural Grocers (PRNewsfoto/Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cott)","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Natural Grocers (PRNewsfoto/Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cott)","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":400,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/a61e20053985f0bc3a83f73c2a095bbe"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fkhl9YWyLdtnwIZS.GvAMQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTcwNTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/a61e20053985f0bc3a83f73c2a095bbe","width":400,"height":400}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/483552/Natural_Grocers_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"The decision overturns three major loopholes that plaintiffs argued would have kept consumers in the dark:","length":106,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"list","items":[{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"GMO vs. Bioengineered: Retailers and brands may use the name "GMO," which consumers widely recognize. Previous USDA rules focused on the exclusive use of "bioengineered," a term that plaintiffs argued was confusing and infringed on free speech rights.","length":271,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"QR Codes Are Not Enough: The court rejected rules allowing companies to rely solely on QR codes or text messages for disclosure. Natural Grocers argued that not all consumers have smartphones or reliable internet access. The ruling requires companies to provide clear, on-package information accessible to everyone.","length":315,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"All Ingredients Must Be Labeled: The court found the USDA was wrong to exempt highly proce...