Genetically modified organisms have become rampant in our American diets.
With the shift from small farm, homegrown food, to the mass production of food…
We not only have lost nearly all of the original nutrient value from our food, companies have now come to depend on using GMO in order to increase profits and production.
With multimillion dollar marketing campaigns, big business is capitalizing on our ignorance. Our culture is starting to wake up and understand that we need to eat more healthy and organic. People are now seeking out more healthy options and are willing to pay for them. This fact has not gone unnoticed by big business.
The latest disturbing trend is the labeling of GMO and processed foods as “healthy”.
Proposition 37
Proposition 37, a Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Initiative, was on the November 6, 2012 ballot in California as an initiated state statute, where it was defeated. If Proposition 37 has been approved, it would have:
Required labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if the food is made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways.
Prohibited labeling or advertising such food as “natural.”
GMO, knowing is half the battle
The purpose of this post is not to debate whether proposition 37 is good or bad, because, like most political bills and laws, the original intent of the law gets totally twisted to favor politicians and big business.
A genetically customized rose by other name may smell sweet, but it could still have frankenthorns that may remove themselves and lop off your finger while you’re smelling it.
That’s not unlike a journey to the grocery store nowadays. There are a great deal of ugly surprises in quite, charmingly-named packages.
It looks like no matter how tough you try to prevent them, GMOs and poisonous foods creep into your life.
Consider example, the earthily-packaged “natural” foods that are showcased in your grocery store aisles. They cost twice as much, have odd brand, and promote their health advantages and natural sources. You can almost smell the freshly untiled soil when you pick up the box.
Regrettably, this is absolutely nothing more than corporate sleight-of-hand.
A number of the items that seem so great are really just subsidiaries of the services that were most complicit in blocking GMO labeling, helped and abetted by everybody’s favorite purveyor of death, Monsanto. (Monsanto, by the way, donated $7,100,500.00 to the fight versus the labeling of GMO-containing products.)
Remember that Monsanto is now above the law due to the Monsanto Protection Act, a traitorous rider that Senator Roy Blunt handled to attach to an bill that was consequently signed into law by President Obama. (you know, that man in the White House, who made the labeling of GMOs one of his 2007 campaign guarantees?).
Big businesses supply almost all of the foods sold in the United States.
Some of these companies silently have subsidiaries that might shock you.
The list below contains the quantity that the company (and its subsidiaries) donated to defeat California Proposition 37 which would have required GMO labeling.
Not every item on this list includes genetically customized ingredients. The list is based on the duplicitous marketing of the services.
More consumers are attempting to make healthy choices at the supermarket, however it’s tough when business push their hazardous items and dress them up as health food. The American Youths in particular fall victim to these plans. You have to give a kid credit for buying something called “Vitamin Water” over a soda water, and it’s exasperating that the kid, trying to make a good option, has actually been fooled into the purchase by deceitful advertising and marketing.
Some of the products listed, may in truth be exactly what they are represented to be, but you may want to boycott and not to financially support the corporations behind them.
Campbell’s – $250,000.00.
Healthy Request.
Wolfgang Puck Soups.
Rate Foods.
Pepperidge Farms.
V-8.
Cargill, Inc – $202,229.36.
Truvia Natural Sweetener.
Shady Brooks Farms.
Diamond Crystal Salt.
Liza.
Nature Fresh.
Peter’s Chocolate.
Wilbur Chocolate.
Honeysuckle White.
Rumba Meats.
Great Nature.
Coca Cola – $1,164,400.00.
Vitamin Water.
Smart Water.
Dasani.
Nestea.
Minute Maid.
Sincere Tea.
Odwalla.
Vitaminenergy.
Con-Agra – $1,076,700.00.
Orville Redenbacher’s Organic.
Hunt’s Organic.
Lightlife.
Alexia.
Healthy Choice.
Hebrew National.
Dean Foods – $253,950.00.
Horizon.
Silk.
White Wave.
General Mills – $908,200.00.
Nature Valley.
Fiber One.
Cheerios.
Cascadian Farm.
Muir Glen.
Lärabar.
Gold Medal Organic.
Food Should Taste Good.
Heinz- $500,000.00.
ABC.
Bagel Bites.
Complan.
Daddies.
Delimex.
Farex.
Greenseas.
HP Sauce.
Heinz.
Lea & Perrins.
Ore-Ida.
Smart Ones.
Tater Tots.
TGI Friday’s.
Wattie’s.
Weight Watchers.
Wylers.
Hain-Celestial.
UPGRADED TO ADD: Heinz has actually divested itself of Hain-Celestial stock over the previous number of years. Two sources report that the main financiers for Hain-Celestial are services of very uncertain factor to consider for our health: Phillip Morris, Monsanto, Citigroup, Exxon-Mobil, Wal-Mart and Lockheed Martin. (Farmwars and Home for Health).
Earth’s Best.
Spectrum Organics.
Garden of Eatin’.
Casbah.
Rice Dream.
Soy Dream.
WestSoy.
TofuTown.
MaraNatha.
Mountain Sun.
Walnut Acres.
Fruiti di Bosco.
Health Valley.
Bearitos.
Bread Shop.
Celestial Seasonings.
Kellogg’s – $632,500.00.
Kashi.
Muslix.
Nutrigrain.
Bear Naked.
Morningstar Farms.
Gardenburger.
Kraft – $551,148.25.
Snapple.
ReaLemon.
Triscuit.
SnackWell’s.
South Beach.
Boca.
Back to Nature.
Nabisco.
Nestle – $1,169,400.00.
Pure Life.
Pelligrino.
Perrier.
Poland Spring.
Gerber.
California Pizza Kitchen.
Tribe Mediterranean.
Sweet Leaf Tea.
PepsiCo $2,249,661.61.
Miss Vickie’s.
Sun Chips.
Aquafina.
SoBe.
Harvest Crunch.
Dole.
Ocean Spray.
Tropicana.
Miranda.
Tazo.
Quaker.
Naked Juice.
Mother’s.
Unilever– $467,000 (source).
Salada.
Knorr.
Ben & Jerry’s Ben & Jerry’s Go GMO Free.
A bit of excellent news …
It isn’t all trouble. There are a few companies you can still count on– keep in mind that business mergers take place every day. When companies change hands, there is no commitment to inform the public. One such cautionary tale took place with the business Dean’s, which acquired Horizon Foods. They quietly phased out using natural products without making any modifications to the label and utilized non-organic milk produced under factory farm conditions. As well, they dropped the quality of their organic soy and began buying less expensive harvests from Asia. On the other hand, unwitting sellers had no idea that the services had actually ceased producing the items organically, and continued to promote the items as they had previous to the acquisition.
Right now, these are some of the GOOD LABELS to look for:.
7th Generation.
Amy’s Kitchens.
Apple and Eve.
Applegate.
Azumaya.
Blue Diamond.
Bob’s Red Mill.
Bossa Nova.
Cal Organics.
Cedarlane.
Cell-nique.
Option Organic Teas.
Clif Bar/ Nectar Fruit.
Coombs Family Farmers.
Cosorzio All Natural.
Nation Choice.
Crystal Geyser Alpine Water.
Doctor Kracker.
Dr. McDougall’s.
Dr. Praeger.
Eat Raw.
Echo Farms.
EcoMeal.
Eddie’s Pasta.
Eden Foods (The only business NOT using hazardous plastic in the lining of their cans as bonding agent!).
Edward and Sons.
Endangered Species Chocolate.
Ener-G.
EnvironKiz.
Wonderful Foods.
Offering Nature.
Golden Temple.
Go Naturally.
Greenway Farms.
Harvest Bay.
Ian’s Natural Foods.
Koyo Organics.
Lakewood.
Lesser Evil.
Let’s Do … Organics.
LifeStream.
Living Harvest.
Lundberg Family.
Madhava.
Murray’s Chicken.
Nasoya.
Native Forest.
Natural by Nature.
Nature Factor.
Nature’s Path.
Newman’s Own Organic.
Organic Prarie.
Organic Valley.
Pacific Naturals.
Pamela’s.
Peace Cereal.
Petalumi.
Rapunzel.
Genuine Foods.
Republic of Teas.
Road’s End Organics.
San J.
Sensible Foods.
Seven Star Farms.
Sunergia.
Delicious Bite Indian.
Terra Nostra.
Texmati.
Theo chocolates.
Believe Organic.
Turtle Island Tofurky.
Vermont Mystic Pie.
Vitasoy.
Vita Spelt.
Vivani Chocolate.
Wizard’s Saucery.
Woodstock Farms.
XOXOXO chocolate.
Yogi Tea.
Zija.
Zoe’s Granola.
Another way to avoid unscrupulous food manufacturers is through an App called Buycott. If you have an iPhone, this App can be used to inspect an item that you see in the shops to see exactly what business links exist.
Obviously, the best methods to prevent GMOs and hazardous additives are to avoid packaged foods completely.
Raise and preserve your own food.
Buy natural and local.
Prepare from scratch.
Avoid processed food.