GMO’s Are in What!? Edition 3

GMO’s are lurking everywhere. They are popping up in places they shouldn’t be and are in foods we wouldn’t dream they would be. The word “healthy” has lost it’s meaning since it can be slapped on basically any food product and cleverly labeled as if it is healthy.

What’s worse is the companies that really make it seem like they only deliver the most quality of ingredients… and they don’t.

Like Kashi, for example.

Until serious backlash from angry consumers a little more than a year ago, there were no projections of them being involved in the Non-GMO Project (the Non-GMO Project is North America’s only independent company that verifies products and that you can trust). As a rebuttal, Kashi played on the fact that 80% of soy crops in the U.S. are genetically engineered so they made it seem like it was difficult for them to source completely GMO-free options. However, if you dug a little deeper, their Go Lean cereal tested with 100% genetically engineered ingredients.

If they were talking about trace GM elements, then a 1% total of GM ingredients found would be insignificant. But 100% on the other hand…..

And let us not forget one huge key factor: Kashi is owned by Kelloggs — a huge 13 billion dollar convenience food corporation that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars against California voters last year during Proposition 37 (a ballot initiative that would require mandatory labeling of GMO’s on products). Kelloggs has been completely non-existent in the I-522 (a ballot initiative that would require mandatory labeling of GMO’s in Washington State) but is indefinitely part of the GMA (Grocers Manufacturers Association). Speculation is that Kellogg’s is behind the GMA throwing out “invisible” donations (they have already donated $7,555,200). To view the list of contributors in the I-522 campaign click HERE.

Anyway, since this backlash and exposure to the “real” ingredients in Kashi’s products, Kashi has become enrolled into the Non-GMO Project and many of their products are considered GM-free, but certainly not all. This is the most important reason to read the labels and look at the packaging to ensure you see the Non-GMO Project verified seal.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients found in the Go Lean Cereal…

Well, the first ingredient is soy grits which are not organic. With 80% of the soy crop in the U.S. being GE we can almost guarantee that the soy in this product are genetically engineered.

On a positive note they used evaporated cane juice syrup instead of just sugar… which is just another word for genetically engineered sugar beet (read more about that HERE). So we can give Kashi a thumbs up for that move.

However, read a little further down the ingredient list and there is corn meal, corn flour, soy protein, and corn bran. In other words, GMO, GMO, GMO and, if you guessed GMO... you’re right!

There are some natural flavors in there too and God knows what is in the “natural” flavors. Well, maybe God doesn’t know because it’s not really so natural. So that means only the scientists that created the natural flavor knows.

So is it a good choice to eat for breakfast? Is it going to nourish your body and give you the umph to start your day?

Cereal is Not a Good Choice For Breakfast… Period.