Those of us who have our own gardens and are trying to eat healthier probably pay more attention to phrases like "organic" and "all natural" while we're cruising the grocery aisles. There are lots of companies out there that appeal to health conscious shoppers - Odwalla, Honest Tea, and Kashi are just a few that come to mind.
So I can't even tell you how much it burns my biscuits to find out that some of these pseuo-healthy companies are actually owned by their unhealthy competitor conglomerates. For example, I just learned that Kashi is actually owned by the Kellogg Corporation and that Kashi cereals have been found to contain a large amount of GMOs and are coated with pesticides. You can read the report here. In some cases, the products contain 100% generically modified ingredients! So how are they getting away with making the claim that "we're passionate about good, all-natural foods" on their website? It appears that these companies are purposefully deceiving consumers by not divulging what is in their products.
Honest Tea and Odwalla are owned by Coca-cola. Naked Juice, their competitor, is owned by PepsiCo. MorningStar and Bear Naked? Kellogg again. Seeds of Change? Owned by Mars\M&M!! Garden of Eatin'? Owned by Heinz.
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| Image courtesy of Michigan State University. |
Still think those healthy products you're eating are actually healthy or all natural?
I am convinced more than ever that the only way to know what is in your food is to either (a) grow your own from non-GMO seed, or (b) shop at local farmers markets from trusted vendors. Also, if you haven't already, you might also consider signing the petition to ask the FDA to require the labelling of any product containing a GMO ingredient. We label cosmetics, cigarettes, and even mattresses so I can't believe we have to fight to find out what is in the food we eat. Europe has been doing this for decades.
What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear them.
Seeds of Change is owned by Mars/M&M? That ticks me off!!! I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many loopholes in the "law" that governs labeling of foods, that these guys may never have to answer for any of the things they do. It just boggles the mind.
I'm with you on this, though. I signed the petition.
Not surprised... and it's one reason we garden, to know where it all comes from.
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