"The Great Organic Deceivers"

In my last post, I extolled the virtues of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes. And then I saw this. Apparently Muir Glen is owned by General Mills, which is just one of a host of companies who have lobbied against "Label GMO"--a California initiative to increase awareness of what is really in our food.

In fact, many of the brands that we've come to associate with organic or otherwise healthy products are in fact owned by major corporate conglomerates. For instance, Kashi is owned by Kellogg, which is also one of the companies fighting "Label GMO," a.k.a. Prop 37. The hypocrisy extends even further--Silk Soymilk, Almond milk, and Coconut milk actually carries the 'Non-GMO Project Verified' seal on its products, despite being owned by Dean (who also produces Horizon brand organic milk), which has also lobbied against Prop 37.

Want to educate yourself further on GMOs--genetically modified organisms? Here is a great site with more information. Suffice it to say that GMOs are dangerous because they have not been proven safe to eat and they are not a part of sustainable agriculture--in fact, they cause more harm than good, both to our health and to our environment.

Want to get involved in the movement? Start by refusing to buy products made by the following companies:

Alexia Foods

Bear Naked

Cascadian Farm Organics

French Meadow Organic Bakery

Gardenburger

Honest Tea

Horizon Organic

Izze Sparkling Juice

Kashi

Larabar

Lightlife

MorningStar Farms

Muir Glen Organics

Naked Juice

Odwalla

R.W. Knudsen

Santa Cruz Organic

Sierra Mist Natural

Silk

The following companies have supported "Label GMO" and are otherwise great companies that deserve your support:

Amy’s

Baby’s Only Organic

Dr. Bronner’s

Eden

Lundberg

Nature’s Path Organic

Nutiva

Organic Valley

Straus Organic

Uncle Matt’s

The best way to avoid consuming GMO is to buy foods that are 100% organic and/or that carry the "Non-GMO Project Verified" label. If a product says 'made from organic ingredients,' that is not a guarantee that it is GMO-free. The most important products to be wary of are corn and soy--95% of the US soy crop and 75% of the US corn crop is genetically modified. This doesn't just extend to corn on the cob and edamame--anything made with corn or soy ingredients may contain GMO--from tofu to tortilla chips and even salad dressing and other products that contain high fructose corn syrup.

For further information on big-agro, check out Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a life-changing, eye-opening account of her family's experiment with eating only locally grown food. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about what they eat, or anyone who is on the fence about the benefits of organic eating. Post a comment if you check it out and tell me what you think!