Green grocer sparks nationwide debate

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) - It's a controversy that started in Rhode Island, but has since spread nationally.

The owner of The Green Grocer in Portsmouth is making headlines after he pulled Kashi products from his store shelves.

"Our specialty is really about trying to provide healthier food options for our customers."

John Wood tells Eyewitness News he made the decision after a recent report found Kellogg's brand uses genetically engineered and non-organic ingredients in Kashi despite marking the cereal as natural.

"We created shelf signs throughout the store to explain why the products are missing."

It's those signs that sparked a response from Kashi customers nationwide.

A customer of The Green Grocer snapped a photo and posted it to the Kashi Facebook page.

The photo garnered considerable attention from users, and now the makers of Kashi have responded to the claim with a video on their Facebook page stating, "The information circulating is scientifically inaccurate and misleading because it was not based on testing of actual Kashi products, but was instead from USDA data."

As far as Wood is concerned, Kashi foods won't be in his store until he sees a change.

"There really wasn't a choice in the matter.   If we really had a strong standing for natural and organic foods, then we had to remove it from the shelf," said Wood.

Wood says his intention was never to target the Kashi brand, but he is happy he helped spark a national conversation about natural foods.