GMOs and pesticides are in almost everything, including “natural” cereals…
In Around the web on April 27, 2012 at 7:14 am
From NATURAL NEWS
Thanks to Ron Epstein
Three facts you need to know about GMOs before you read the explosive test results below
Before you view the Cornucopia’s test results below, there are three important things you need to know about GMOs:
#1) There is GE contamination in almost everything. Even “non-GMO” food products almost always contain trace levels of GMOs (often between .01% and 0.5%). A test for the mere presence of GMOs is not considered conclusive. What’s important is thelevelof GMOs in a particular food item. Some of the “natural” items tested by the Cornucopia Institute showed GMO contamination levels between 28 and 100 %, which means the key ingredients in those cereals are most definitely genetically engineered from the source (and it’s not just a chance contamination from some other nearby field).
#2) All GMO tests are merely a “snapshot” that can change over time. Foods that test free of GMOs today may contain higher levels tomorrow due to supply line errors, contamination, supply source changes, and so on. At the same time, foods that test at high levels of GMOs today may test at lower levels in the future or even for different batches from the same manufacturer. Sometimes manufacturers are lied to by their suppliers. Some manufacturers test for GMOs in every batch, but others take a “don’t ask don’t tell” approach where they don’t test because they’d rather not know.
#3) Products may be “enrolled” in the Non-GMO Project and still contain GMOs before they are “verified.” The Non-GMO Project has two designations for products. There are products which are “enrolled” which means they are “on the path” to becoming free of GMOs but may not have achieved it yet. Thus, it is true that products “enrolled” in the Non-GMO Project may still contain substantial levels of GMOs. Products that meet far more stringent supply line audits and GE testing requirements are granted the label “Verified” by the Non-GMO Project.
You got all that? It’s a lot to keep in mind. GMOs are a complicated issue. But one thing is certain: Most “natural” breakfast cereals contain surprisingly high levels of genetically engineered ingredients. This is why it’s crucial to shop for certified organic breakfast cereals from companies like Nature’s Path, whose products are 100% certified organic and free from GMOs.
All these concerns about GMOs don’t even cover residues of toxic and carcinogenic pesticides in the grains used to produce “natural” breakfast cereals. The Cornucopia report cites extensive USDA testing and research revealing which “natural” grains and ingredients may be routinely contaminated with chemical pesticides. Synthetic pesticides are banned in organic production with oversight by independent certifiers and USDA accreditation, so organic is once again the way to go if you wish to avoid pesticide residues.
Keep reading to see some of the shocking test results uncovered by the Cornucopia Institute…
Here’s what the test results reveal
The Cornucopia Institute’s “Cereal Scorecard” (http://www.cornucopia.org/2011/10/natural-vs-organic-cereal/) reveals some truly astonishing facts about what’s in our breakfast cereal:
• Kashi brand cereals (Kellogg’s) contains “high levels” of GMOs. Not just a trace of GMOs, in other words, but a high level meaning the key ingredients are genetically engineered from the get-go. In fact, NaturalNews has learned that test results reveal 100% of the soy used in tested boxes of Kashi cereal was genetically engineered soy.
• Mother’s brand cereals (PepsiCo) contains “high levels” of GMOs. Test results revealed 28% of the corn to be genetically engineered.
• Whole Foods’ 365 brand Corn Flakes contains “high levels” of GMOs (more than 50% GE corn).
• Barbara’s Bakery Puffins cereal was also shown to contain more than 50% genetically engineered corn.
• Both Barbara’s Bakery Puffins and Whole Foods 365 Corn Flakes are “enrolled” in the Non-GMO Project, says Cornucopia (see below). Note that this does not mean “verified” by the Non-GMO Project, which is a different designation. Still, the term “enrolled” in the Non-GMO Project may imply to many shoppers that the products are free from GMOs. This is something NaturalNews will address later, as it is a concern for both us and many readers who have long believed that any affiliation with the Non-GMO Project meant the same thing as “GMO free,” which it does not.
• One of the shining examples honest organic cereal is Nature’s Path, whose products are all certified organic, contained no significant GMO contamination and are clearly made with entirely non-GMO ingredients.
• As the report states: Numerous “natural” products were indeed contaminated with high levels of GE ingredients, sometimes as high as 100%: Kashi GoLean, Mother’s Bumpers, Nutritious Living Hi-Lo, and General Mills Kix.
• Kashi Heart to Heart Blueberry cereal costs more than Nature’s Path Organic Blueberry Cinnamon Optimum Cereal, and yet the grains used in Kashi cereal were found by the USDA, to typically contain residues of all the following pesticide chemicals: phosmet, carbaryl, azinphos methyl, malathion, chlorpyrifos methyl, chlorpyrifos. (Note: This does not mean these Kashi cereals were tested for each of these chemicals, only that these chemicals are admitted by the USDA to be found in the non-organic grains used to manufacture Kashi cereals.)
• Quaker Oats states that it is an “all-natural” product. But Quaker Oats (a unit of PepsiCo) manages a processing plant that emits roughly 19,000 pounds ofsulfuryl fluorideyearly. Sulfuryl fluoride is a toxic greenhouse gas used to treat crops like oats in storage.
• “Natural” Peace Cereal Wild Berry Crisp is produced from conventional commodity ingredients commonly containing the neurotoxinphosmetand the carcinogencaptanin 11% and 55% of samples, respectively.
• Mom’s Best Naturals Raisin Bran cereal contains “natural” (non-GMO) ingredients that are commonly contaminated withmalathionandphosmetchemicals, both of which are neurotoxins.
• Several Bear Naked and Kashi products contain conventional soy protein. Soy protein in this country is nearly universally hexane-extracted. The “hexane bath” that the soybeans are immersed in consists of more than 50% n-hexane, which is a known neurotoxin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
~~
Rate this: 2 Votes
Share this:
Email
Print
Like this:
Like
Be the first to like this post.
▶ No Responses
«
BEFORE
Todd Walton: My Father
April 27, 2012
AFTER
The Gates of Hell…
April 27, 2012
»