This Non-GMO
Shopping Guide is designed to help reclaim your right to know
about the foods you are buying, and help you find and avoid
genetically modified foods and ingredients.
Food products
that contain 95-100% certified organic ingredients:
- Prohibit the use of chemical fertilizers, various synthetic
substances, irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) in organic production.
- Prohibit
antibiotic and synthetic hormone use in organic meat and poultry.
- Require
100% organic feed for organic livestock.
When the
product is labeled “100% organic,” “organic,”
or just “made with organic ingredients,” then even
the non-organic ingredients cannot be produced from GMOs. For
example, products labeled as “made with organic ingredients”
only require 70% of the ingredients to be organic, but 100%
must be non-GMO.
Dr.
Bill Deagle from Nutrimedical
discusses the dangers
of GMO foods with world renown GMO researcher and author
of Seeds
of Deception, Jeffrey
Smith.
Why Buy
Organic?
It’s about safety for both the environment . . . and for
you. Concerns about “health, their community, and the environment
inspire approximately three million consumers to buy organic
foods in the United States.” *
While synthetic
pesticides used in conventional farming may initially hit their
targets, over time they become less effective, and pest populations
can develop resistance to these chemicals. What follows, is
a cycle of increased pesticide applications without increased
yields, and the development of even more powerful pesticides
that run ahead of the EPA's ability to study and regulate their
use.
Organic
pest control methods and the promotion of organically built
soils that produce resilient plants with their own natural defenses
against insects, fungus and disease, is a safer path. If you
add the mounting evidence of widespread damage to and contamination
of food, water, soil, and air, along with diminished wildlife,
and soil erosion, it’s easy to see why it’s so important
to buy food displaying the USDA Organic seal.
Organic
dairy farmers and ranchers use pure water, quality feed, fresh
air, and healthy pastures, to make sure their organically raised
animals grow at their own natural pace, without artificial growth
hormones. The “use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones,
and genetically modified organisms to intensify production in
conventional agriculture practices which give rise to serious
health questions," ** are excluded from their operations.
How
to avoid brands made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Genetic
Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves
the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into
the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically
modified organism or GMO. GMOs can be engineered with genes
from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans. Most
Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but unlike
most other industrialized countries, the U.S. does not require
labeling.
This
Non-GMO Shopping Guide is designed to help reclaim your right
to know about the foods you are buying, and help you find and
avoid GMO foods and ingredients.
Tips
for avoiding GM crops
TIP
#1: BUY ORGANIC
Certified organic products are not allowed to contain any
GMOs. Therefore, when you purchase products labeled
"100% organic," "organic," or "made
with organic ingredients," all ingredients in these
products are not allowed to be produced from GMOs. For example,
products labeled as "made with organic ingredients"
only require 70% of the ingredients to be organic, but 100%
must be non-GMO.
TIP
#2: LOOK FOR "NON-GMO" LABELS
Companies may voluntarily label products as "non-GMO."
Some labels state "non-GMO" while others spell
out "Made Without Genetically
Modified Ingredients." Some products limit their claim
to only one particular "At-Risk" ingredient such
as soy lecithin, listing it as "non-GMO."
TIP
#3: AVOID AT-RISK INGREDIENTS
Avoid
products made with any of the crops that are GM. Most
GM
ingredients are products made from the "Big Four:"
corn, soybeans,
canola, and cottonseed, used in processed foods.
Some
of the most common genetically engineered Big Four
ingredients
in processed foods are:
Corn
Corn
flour, meal, oil, starch, gluten, and syrup
Sweeteners
such as fructose, dextrose, and glucose
Modified
food starch*
Soy
Soy
flour, lecithin, protein, isolate, and isoflavone
Vegetable
oil* and vegetable protein*
Canola Canola oil (also called rapeseed oil)
Cotton Cottonseed oil
Sugar Anything not listed as 100% cane sugar
*May
be derived from other sources
In
addition, GM sugar beet sugar recently entered the food
supply. Look for organic and non-GMO sweeteners, candy
and chocolate products made with 100% cane sugar, evaporated
cane juice or organic sugar, to avoid GM beet sugar.
TIP
#4: BUY PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS
GUIDE
Fruits
& Vegetables
Very
few fresh fruits and vegetables for sale in the U.S. are
genetically modified. Novel products such as seedless
watermelons are NOT genetically modified. Small amounts
of zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and sweet corn may
be GM. The only commercialized GM fruit is papaya from
Hawaii—about half of Hawaii's papayas are
GM.
Meat,
Fish & Eggs
No
genetically modified fish, fowl, or livestock is yet approved
for human consumption. However, plenty of non-organic
foods are produced from animals raised on GM feed such
as grains. Look for wild rather than farmed fish to avoid
fish raised on genetically modified feed, and 100% grass-fed
animals.
Meat
and Fish: Non-GMO
Vital
Choice Organic Prairie
Eggs:
Non-GMO
Egg
Innovations Organic Eggland's Best Organic
Land O'Lakes Organic
Nest Fresh Organic
Organic Valley
Pete and Jerry's Organic Eggs
Wilcox Farms Organic
Alternative
Meat Products
Many
alternative meat products are processed and include ingredients
that can be genetically engineered, so give the ingredient
lists close attention to avoid the Big Four at-risk ingredients,
especially soy.
Non-GMO
365
Brand
(Whole Foods)
Amy's
Bountiful Bean
Sunshine Burger
The Simple Soyman Vitasoy
Wildwood
White Wave
Milk
or soy protein is the basis of most infant formulas. The
secret ingredients in these products are often soy or
milk from cows injected with rbGH.
Many brands also add GMO-derived corn syrup, corn syrup
solids, or soy lecithin.
Non-GMO
Baby's
Only
(certified organic products)
Earth's Best
Gerber products HAPPYBABY Mom Made Meals
Organic Baby
Plum Organics
May
contain
GMO ingredients
Beech-Nut
Enfamil
Good Start
Nestlé Similac/Isomil
Dairy
& Alternative Products
Some
U.S. dairy farms inject the genetically engineered hormone
rbGH, also called rbST, into their cows to boost milk
production. Organic dairy products are rbGH-free and do
NOT use GM grains as feed. Products with a label that
indicates cows free of rbGH or rbST may come from cows
fed GM feed. Many alternative dairy products are made
from soybeans and may contain GM materials.
Dairy
Products:
Non-GMO
Certified
Organic
Alta Dena Organics Butterworks Farm
Harmony prHills Dairy
Horizon Organic Morningland Dairy
Natural by Nature
Organic Valley
Radiance Dairy
Safeway Organic Brand
Seven Stars Farm
Straus Family Creamery Stonyfield Farm
Wisconsin Organics Nancy¹s Organics
Produced Without rbGH
National
Nancy¹s Natural Dairy Alta
Dena
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Brown Cow Farm
Crowley Cheese of Vermont
Franklin County Cheese
Grafton Village Cheese
Great Hill Dairy
Lifetime Dairy
West Coast Alpenrose Dairy
Berkeley Farms
Clover Stornetta Farms
Joseph Farms Cheese
Sunshine Dairy Foods
Tillamook Cheese
Wilcox Family Farms
Midwest and Gulf States
Chippewa Valley Cheese
Erivan Dairy Yogurt
Promised Land Dairy
Westby Cooperative Creamery
East Coast Blythedale Farm Cheese
Crescent Creamery Derle Farms (milk with
"no rbST"
label only)
Erivan Dairy Yogurt
Farmland Dairies
Oakhurst Dairy
Wilcox Dairy (rbST-free
dairy line only)
Alternative
Dairy Products: Non-GMO
Belsoy
EdenSoy Imagine Foods/Soy Dream
Nancy's Cultured Soy
Pacific Soy
Silk
Soy Delicious
Sun Soy Stonyfield Farm O'Soy Tofutti VitaSoy/Nasoya
WestSoy
WholeSoy Yves The Good Slice
Zen Don
May
contain
GMO ingredients
Colombo
(General Mills) Dannon Kemps (aside from
"Select" brand)
Land O' Lakes Parmalat Sorrento
Yoplait (General Mills)
May
contain
GMO ingredients
8th
Continent
Grains,
Beans & Pasta
Other
than corn, no GM grains are sold on the market. Look for
100-percent wheat pasta, couscous, rice, quinoa, oats,
barley, sorghum, and dried beans (except soybeans).
Prepared
Meals: Non-GMO
Annie's
Natural Pasta
Bob's Red Mill (organic line)
Eden certified organic grains Kamut Lundberg Family Farms Sunridge Farms
Vita-Spelt pasta
Betty
Crocker meals (General Mills)
Knorr (Unilever)
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Lipton meal packets (Unilever)
Near East (Quaker)
Pasta Roni and Rice-a-Roni meals (Quaker)
Cereals
and Breakfast Bars
Cereals
and breakfast bars are very likely to include GMO ingredients,
because they are often made with corn and soy products.
Non-GMO:
Ambrosial
Granola
Barbara's (organic line)
Cascadian Farms
Eden EnviroKidz Golden Temple Grandy Oats
Health Valley (organic line)
Lundberg® Purely Organic
Rice Cereal
Nature's Path Nonuttin'
Omega Smart Bars
Peace Cereal Organic
Simple Sweets Sunridge Farms Ruth¹s
May
Contain
GMO Ingredients
Betty
Crocker meals
(General Mills) Knorr (Unilever)
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese meals
Lipton meal packets (Unilever)
Near East (Quaker)
Pasta Roni and Rice-A-Roni
meals (Quaker)
General Mills
Kellogg
Post (Kraft)
Quaker
Baked
Goods
While
baking ingredients such as wheat flour, rice, kamut,
and oats are not genetically modified, many packaged breads
and bakery items contain other GMO ingredients such as
corn syrup.
Non-GMO
Arrowhead
Mills (organic line)
Bakery on Main
Bob's Red Mill (organic line)
Dr. McDougall's Right Foods
Dr Oetker Organics
French Meadow
Natural Ovens Bakery
(organic line)
Nature's Path
Rudi's Organic Bakery
Rumford Baking Powder
Many
frozen foods are highly processed. Keep an eye out for
the Big Four at-risk ingredients and stay away from frozen
foods that contain them, unless they are marked organic
or non-GM.
Non-GMO
A.C.
LaRocco Amy's Kitchen
Cascadian Farms Organic frozen
meals and vegetables Cedarlane Helen's Kitchen
Ian's Natural Foods
Linda McCartney frozen meals
Mom Made Meals
Plum Organics Kids
The Simple Soyma
Amy's
(organic line)
Annie's Natural
Eden
Emerald Valley Kitchen
Green Mountain Gringo & certi?ed-organic
salsa
Muir Glen Organic pasta sauce
& salsa
Seeds of Change certi?ed-
organic pasta sauce
Walnut Acres certi?ed-organic
pasta sauce
Bertolli
(Unilever)
Chi-Chi's (Hormel) Classico (Heinz)
Del Monte
Healthy Choice (ConAgra)
Hunt's (ConAgra)
Old El Paso (General Mills)
Pace (Campbell's)
Prego (Campbell's)
Ragu (Unilever)
May Contain GMO Ingredients
Chef
Boyardee Dinty Moore, Stagg, Hormel
(Hormel)
Franco-American (Campbell's)
Condiments,
Oils, Dressings & Spreads
Unless
labeled explicitly, corn, soybean, cottonseed, and canola
oils probably contain genetically modified products. Choose
pure olive, coconut, sesame, sunflower, safflower, almond,
grapeseed, and peanut oils.
Also choose preserves, jams, and jellies with cane sugar,
not corn syrup.
Non-GMO
Annie's
Bountiful Bean
Bragg's liquid amino
Carrington Farms Flax Seed
Crofter's Organic
Drew's salad dressing
Eden
Emerald Cove
Emerald Valley Kitchen
Emperor's Kitchen
Follow Your Heart
Harvest Moon Mushrooms
Ian's Natural Foods
I.M. Health SoyNut Butters Maranatha Nut Butters Miso Master
Muir Glen organic
tomato ketchup Nasoya
Newmans Own Organic Ruth¹s Spectrum
oils and dressings SushiSonic Asian Condiments
The Simple Soyman Vegan by Nature Buttery Spreads Vigoa Cuisine Wholemato
May
Contain
GMO Ingredients
Crisco
(Smucker's)
Del Monte
Heinz
Hellman's (Unilever)
Kraft condiments and dressings
Mazola
Pam (ConAgra)
Peter Pan (ConAgra)
Skippy (Unilever) Smucker's (except their
"Simply
100% Fruit" line of preserves)
Wesson (ConAgra)
Wish-Bone (Unilever)
Snack
Foods
Look
for snacks made from wheat, rice, or oats, and ones that
use sunflower or safflower oils. There is no GM popcorn
on the market, nor is there blue or white GM corn.
Snacks:
Non-GMO
Barbara's
(organic line) Bearitos/Little Bear Organics
(Hain Celestial)
Eco-Planet
Eden
Garden of Eatin' Grandy Oats Hain Pure Snax/Hain
Pure Foods
Health Valley
Ian's Natural Foods
Kettle Foods Kopali Organics
Late July Organic Snacks
Mary's Gone Crackers
Nature's Path Organic
Namaste Foods
Newman's Own Organics
& Newman's Own
(except salad dressing)
Simple Sweets Sunridge Farms
Energy
Bars: Non-GMO
Clif
Bar Genisoy Bars
Lara Bar
Luna Bar Macrobars Nature's Path Nutiva Odwalla
Optimum Energy Bar
Organic Food Bar
Weil by Nature's Path Organic
Balance
Bar
Nature Valley snack bars and
granola bars (General Mills)
Nabisco Bars (Kraft) PowerBar (Nestle)
Quaker Granola Bars
Candy,
Chocolate Products, &
Sweeteners
Many
sweeteners, and products like candy and chocolate that
contain them, can come from GMO sources. Look for organic
and non-GMO sweeteners, candy and chocolate products made
with 100% cane sugar, evaporated cane juice or organic
sugar to avoid GM beet sugar, and watch out for soy lecithin
in chocolates and corn syrup in candies.
The
sweetener aspartame is derived from GM microorganisms.
It is also referred to as NutraSweet® and Equal®
and is found in over 6,000 products, including soft drinks,
gum, candy, desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and
some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough
drops.
Chocolate:
Non-GMO
Chocolove Endangered Species Chocolate
Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Kopali Organics Nonuttin'
Newman's Own Nonuttin'
Candy:
Non-GMO
Jelly
Belly
Pure Fun Confections
Reed's Crystallized Ginger
candy (certified organic)
Most
juices are made from GMO-free fruit (avoid papaya though,
as it could be GMO), but the prevalence of corn-based
sweeteners—e.g. high-fructose corn syrup—in
fruit juices is cause for concern. Many sodas are primarily
comprised of water and corn syrup. Look for 100-percent
juice blends.
Non-GMO
After
the Fall organic juices
Big Island Organics
Blue Sky
Cascadian Farm
Crofters Organic
Eden
Frey Vinyards
Odwalla Organic Valley
Quinoa Gold Mixerz All Natural Cocktail
Mixers
R.W. Knudsen organic juices and spritzers
(Smucker's)
Santa Cruz Organic (Smucker's)
Sea20 Organic Energy Drink Teeccino Herbal Caffe Walnut Acres Organic Juices
May
Contain
GMO Ingredients
Coca-Cola
(Fruitopia, Minute
Maid, Hi-C, NESTEA)
Hansen Beverage Company
Hawaiian Punch
(Procter and Gamble)
Kraft (Country Time, Kool-Aid,
Crystal Light, Capri Sun, Tang)
Libby's (Nestlé)
Ocean Spray
Pepsi (Tropicana, Frappuccino,
Gatorade, SoBe,
Dole)
Sunny Delight (Procter and
Gamble)
Special
Note: This guide was compiled based on company statements, not
genetic testing. Any product labeled as Non-GMO indicates that
its manufacturing process is designed to avoid GMOs, but consumers
should be aware that GM contamination is possible due to natural
pollen movement, weather events, seed contamination, or human
error. Hence there is no guarantee such products are 100%
free of GMOs.
Invisible
GM Ingredients
Processed
foods often have hidden GM sources (unless they are organic
or declared non-GMO). The following are ingredients that may
be made from GMOs.
Ascorbic
acid (Vitamin C) although usually derived from corn, is probably
not GM because it is not likely made in North America.
To
learn more about GMOs, consult the books Genetic Roulette: The
Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey
M. Smith or Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the
Secret Changes in Your Food by Andrew Kimbrell.
Information on GMOs is also available at www.centerforfoodsafety.org
and www.HealthierEating.org.
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