GMO corn – That's Just Me

Why Non-GMO Takes So Long

I just read an article from the NYT this morning that does a great job explaining why products with non-GMO ingredients can’t happen as quickly as everyone wants, or as quickly as *I* want! ;)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/business/food-companies-seeking-ingredients-that-arent-gene-altered.html

Right now, there’s a scramble for companies to obtain non-GMO ingredients, since there are now a couple dozen states that are pending GMO ingredient labeling. Instead of admitting that their products have Genetically-altered ingredients (oh the horror!), food companies feel it’s much better to switch to all non-GMO. I guess it’s like the scarlet “A” of food! haha!

Anyway, there’s still some talk that non-GMO will cost more, but truthfully, once farmers are on board, it’ll all work out eventually, because they will be a greater need for GMO-free products, so farmers will naturally switch…the problem is, it’s not easy to transition, because of the soil. Which perfectly proves the point that GMO is NOT good for farming!

I found it also very interesting that food companies feel that to switch from say GMO corn to non-GMO corn would result in further product testing because of changes to taste, consistency and mouth feel of the product. All along, hasn’t Monstanto been saying that there’s no difference? That it’s safe and “natural” just like regular corn?

The one part of the article that really scared me was that companies could be forced to obtain their ingredients from overseas, which means more food from Asia! I really hope that doesn’t happen! Farmers need to start to transition NOW because it’s going to happen.

One way or another, GMO labeling is going to come! Hurray! VOTE with your FORK!

Whole Foods Wake-up: Salsa GMO vs Non-GMO

While shopping at Whole Foods Market this morning, on the salsa shelves, I noticed that only two of the Whole Foods 365 brand (non-organic) salsa were verified by the Non GMO project. Hmm, why only two? What was up with the 4 or 5 other flavors?

So, I looked at the labels of the 365 Black Bean & Corn and the 365 Tequila Lime, the latter of which was GMO-free verified. (Note: I saw only the paper verification tag under each product; there wasn’t any notification on the actual label)

Click the photo to view each jars’ ingredients

365 Black Bean & Corn Salsa Ingredients

(probable/possible GMO ingredient bolded)
Diced tomatoes, water, tomato paste, black beans, onions, corn, jalapeno peppers, green chiles, distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, dehydrated garlic, cilantro, citric acid, basil, oregano, natural flavor

365 Tequila Lime Salsa Ingredients

(without distilled vinegar and citric acid)
Diced tomatoes, water, jalapeno peppers, tomato concentrate, sugar, salt, dehydrated onions, onions, lime juice, cilantro, dehydrated garlic, coriander, natural flavors

Hmm, no actual tequila in this salsa? Funny, must be in the “natural flavors” sigh.

Why Such a Fuss Over GMO

Anyway, my point is, Whole Foods Market makes such a big fuss over a selected few products being verified for the non-GMO project, but in reality, most of their non-organic products don’t qualify!

Why only 2 flavors of salsa? Why not take the extra step and use non-GMO ingredients for all flavors? It’s not that difficult to do.

Maybe it’s a marketing ploy. (It’s how Kashi/Kelloggs plays.) If WF verifies only 2 flavors out of 6, maybe when the customer sees the little “non-GMO Project Verified” tag, they won’t notice or realize the other flavors don’t meet non-GMO standards.

Or maybe it’s just that they need to keep their prices as low as possible, trying to distance themselves from the “Whole Paycheck” moniker. But while keeping their prices are low, are they any better than General Mills or Kraft? Sadly, no. Whole Foods Market is getting more and more like conventional Big Food every day.

Years ago, Whole Foods Market used to mean trust-worthy, quality, safe ingredients. It’s unfortunate that they are slowly sliding away from those qualities for more profits and sales.

See all posts in my Whole Foods Wake-up series.

Whole Foods Wake-Up: GMO Ketchup

I admit I was one of the biggest Whole Foods Market groupies. Visiting to one of their stores was like going to church. But the delusion is over, at least for me. I still shop there, but my eyes are open and I diligently read labels.

I think what really set me over the edge was California’s Prop 37 for Genetically Modified (GMO) food labeling and the fact that Whole Foods Market was virtually silent. They pretended to care at the last minute, but Really! Whole Foods doesn’t want GMO labeling any more than other Big Food companies like General Mills, Kelloggs, and Pepsi. If a law like that passed, they would be forced to share with all of us (including their millions of blind-trusting shoppers) that a good chunk of their products do indeed include GMO ingredients.

Case in point, their 365 house-brand ketchup.

A few days ago, I noticed their organic ketchup had the “Non GMO Verified” paper tag under it. Well duh! It’s organic! GMO ingredients are not allowed in any organic foods, so it’s really irrelevant, but that verification label sure does look good, doesn’t it?

Then I glanced to the left, and noticed the non-organic Ketchup did not have the certified GMO free tag. Hmm, why? What’s in ketchup that could be GMO? And there it was: Distilled White Vinegar, made from cheap GMO corn.

(click for larger view)

Notice that only the organic version has the little blurb about how their “private label products are formulated to avoid genetically engineered ingredients” – those words are missing from the label on their regular ketchup.

What I’d like to know are are there any non-organic 365 branded foods that are GMO Free? And I don’t mean single-ingredient foods like rice or beans.

I’d like to see a 365 product that specifically includes some form of corn or soy that is on their Non-GMO verified list. Perhaps there is one, perhaps there isn’t. I’ll be sure to keep looking!

See all posts in my Whole Foods Wake-up series.

Instant Yeast & GMO (Genetically Modified) Ascorbic Acid (Vit C)

I home bake a lot of bread, about 2-3 loaves per week (kneaded in my bread machine). I don’t use an excessive amount of yeast (only about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp), as I like my dough to rise slowly, sometimes overnight in the fridge, depending on how quickly it’s needed (or kneaded, ha, no pun intended.)

I have been buying jars of Fleischmann’s Bread Machine (instant) yeast. It’s quite expensive; Last time I paid $5 for a 4 oz jar, but it lasted me over 4 months.

I had been hearing a lot of recommendations for 1 lb SAF Instant Yeast – it’s packaged as an air-tight, vacuum-sealed “brick” and it will last close-to forever stored in your freezer or even fridge.

I was tempted to purchase from Amazon’s Subcribe & Save – under $12 for a bulk pack of four 1lb packages…..but what would I do with all that yeast!? So, I phoned Whole Foods and asked if they carried it. Yes, and their price was $5.49, so I added it to my shopping list for my next visit.

Made In Mexico

So, here’s where I learned my first lesson.

After reading reviews online, I learned that SAF Instant Yeast is “Made in Mexico“. Nothing personal against Mexico or Mexicans, but I make it a point to stay clear of food imported from Mexico and China. I double-checked the label on my Fleischmann’s yeast and it’s “Made in Canada.”

But I use such a small amount of yeast, will it really make a difference either way, where it’s made? It’s not like eating an apple, or is it?

I decided to take a chance and go for budget-friendly, so I purchased a 1 lb brick of SAF Instant Yeast at Whole Foods.

Instant Yeast Contains Genetically Modified (GMO) Ascorbic Acid (Vit C)

Here’s where I learned my second lesson. There’s GMO in the yeast!

Ascorbic Acid (synthetic Vitamin C) is a man-made product derived from genetically modified corn. Ugh. Who knew!

And it’s also an ingredient in “instant” yeast. And would you also believe, ascorbic acid is the reason why so many bakers love “instant” yeast vs “active-dry” yeast? Ascorbic acid helps doughs “rise” better and faster, and also also acts as a preservative.

I’m thinking it might be worth the extra effort to start using “active-dry” yeast and perhaps just add a smidge of real lemon juice or vinegar to make up for the lack of synthetic ascorbic acid.

Well, I need to make a decision PRONTO, because I just used up the last bit of instant yeast in my bread dough this afternoon.

Do I just forget it, go with the cheap Mexican-made instant yeast, with a small amount of a GMO ingredient? Or perhaps the Canadian-made instant yeast with with a small amount of a GMO ingredient?

Or probably the best way: vote with my fork and go for the active-dry yeast with no GM ingredients (that I know of).

I think I’ll invest in a couple of little packets of active yeast, just to see how easy or difficult it is to work with. Online sources say you must “activate” in warm water first, and others say you can use just like instant yeast, and toss it in dry, unless you don’t know if it’s still viable, and it’s best to test in warm water with sugar added.

So, we’ll see!

UPDATE July 15, 2012: Well I tried the active yeast and it did work but I’ve decided to go back to the instant yeast even with the ascorbic acid.

I preciously only used 1/2 tsp of instant yeast but with the active yeast, I was using at least 1 tsp and it rose alright but not as easily as with instant, and the texture of the dough isn’t as smooth.

So, my reasoning is I’d rather use as little yeast as possible (for a longer rise) and since I’m using such a small amount, I’m hoping that any GMO ingredients are incidental. Plus I’ve decided to stick with Fleischmann’s brand that is made in Canada.

UPDATE December, 2012: I’ve gone back to active dry yeast! In october I purchased a 1 lb bag of the “Frontier Naturals” brand active dry yeast from iHerb.com. It works fine whether I “bloom” it ahead of time or just whisk it together with my flour.