My daughter is heavily against Monsanto products and anti-GMO. And if I forget to check a label before bringing home the groceries, she starts with the lectures.
Actually to be honest my house has very few of the items listed above.
I do have an old box of Bisquick, some Heinz ketchup, and one lone box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. But other than that I am Monsanto free.
How about you?
You'll pry my Pringles out of my dead cold hands....but otherwise, I'm okay ;-)
ReplyDeleteNow add Koch Industries products to that list:
ReplyDeleteAngel Soft Toilet Tissue
Brawny Paper Towels
Dixie Plates & Cups
Mardi Gras Napkins
Quilted Northern Toilet Tissue
Soft n Gentle Toilet Tissue
Sparkle Napkins
Vanity Fair Napkins
Zee Napkins
Georgia-Pacific
Lycra
We have to use Vanity Fair napkins, but otherwise we don't buy those products.
DeleteAt least I don't THINK so. Is Lycra another name for spandex?
Honestly, I could print that out, strikeout a couple of items, and pretty much have my grocery list for the week.
ReplyDeletePepperidge Farms?!?!?
ReplyDeleteNohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Shit. Not just Pepperidge Farms. I see a lot of companies whose products I consume on that list. Time to start being more observant.
Add the Koch brothers products products to the list and boycott them all. But that's just me. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe have very little of that, but Best Foods (mayonnaise), Coke products, Knorr soup for cooking and Pasta/Rice-A-Roni are staples. Monsanto will never get rich off us.
ReplyDeleteHoly moly! I knew Monsanto was huge, but yikes! I have just about half of those brands, not only in my house, but on the favorites list!! We've successfully switched some brands I was aware of to store brands. Guess we'll have to try a few more! Thanks for the list... I think?
ReplyDeleteStore brands are just in-house labelling for products supplied by the name brand products at a discount price. They might be just a bit less in quality.
DeleteExample: Kirkland real bacon bits vs. Hormel bacon bits. There's more fatty pieces in Kirkland's but otherwise they're the same.
Safeway Select frozen broccoli florets vs. Green Giant or Birds Eye. There might be more broccoli stems in the Safeway product...
Thank you and your daughter for this wonderful list! I am well on my way to a monsanto/koch free home. They own so much that it is challenging to avoid it all.
ReplyDeleteI have two--one box of Jiffy mix and two Marie Callender's pot pies. Damn, I love Marie Callender pot pies . . . .
ReplyDeleteI think the box of Jiffy mix has been in the cupboard for a year. I normally try to be careful about anything that I eat being genetically modified. Of course it is insidious because canola oil, corn, soy and milk have been altered and they are in everything.
It can be a chore to eat locally and organically (even though organic food can accidentally get GMO strains in it.) But it is worth it. Of course not everyone has a choice, the means or the awareness to be mindful of GMOs.
look for a co-op that supplies raw milk - you will never go back.
DeleteDid you know a Marie Callender's pot pie has almost as many calories as a meal deal at McDonald's?
DeleteHer Chicken Parmesan Pot Pie 1,060: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/20-worst-packaged-foods-america?article=1&page=1
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal
(Burger 520, Medium French Fries 380, Med Coke Classic 200)
Thanks. I didn't know that. We are trying to be a GMO-free home, but it's nearly impossible.
ReplyDeleteAw crap.... my only problem is the Hellmans (seriously, the best mayo).. otherwise, none of the above.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just that Monsanto pushes those GMO seeds, they use their enormous power to force small farmers world wide to use their seeds -- or else. Your daughter is a gem.
If you have a food processor, you can make homemade mayo in about five minutes and it's even better than Hellmans (the only kind I kept in my house before): http://www.food.com/recipe/basic-food-processor-mayonnaise-39780
DeleteThanks! I just printed that recipe.
DeleteWe donor eat processed food. My biggest complaint is that we do not label fresh fruit and vegetables that are GMO. They do in Europe. It's politics.
ReplyDeleteThis is very helpful as I would love to be Monsanto-free in our house as well. I do have a question, though. We buy primarily store brands (Wegman's FTW!) but I always thought that store brands were just name brands without the marketing. So, is there a way to find out if the store brands are actually Monsanto brands?
ReplyDeleteWorldwide protests against Monsanto on May 24. Find your city in this spreadsheet:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/lejosuq
Here in Oregon, Jackson county (southern) has a proposition on tomorrow's ballot to outlaw GMO crops. I so hope it passes, but you can imagine the amount of big money being spent to defeat it. Don't forget the worldwide March Against Monsanto this coming Saturday the 24th!
ReplyDeleteWe don't buy any of that stuff. We are more for store brands and organic food. We don't eat processed food very much, hubby has to have bread but he's the only one who eats it (store brand lite cardboard is more like it).
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line of the list is, don't eat processed foods. But GMO issues aside, people have talked for a long time about how little food found in those middle grocery store aisles is really good for you. It tends to be cans and boxes and bottles loaded with sugar, flour and salt. The little hard-to-find section with dried beans and rice excepted :)
ReplyDeleteThe Atlantic just did a long piece on this. I highly recommend the read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/05/want-to-know-if-your-food-is-genetically-modified/370812/
For myself, I feel like a hypocrite picking and choosing. I doubt many companies would really stand up to close ethics scrutiny. Plus, anytime there's this kind of train to jump on, my instinct is usually to avoid that train. I think most of this is really wrapped up in anti-corporatism, and that's fair. The GMO scare is simply not backed up by science, and you can't throw out that ONE STUDY unless you're prepared to forgive every climate change denier out there for insisting that ONE STUDY proves it ain't happening.
The left can be just as blind to science as the right. http://www.realclearscience.com/2014/02/24/whole_foods_is_a_temple_of_pseudoscience_257693.html
That list is not correct. While Monsanto is huge and to be avoided this article gives the low done: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/04/10/no-these-food-companies-are-not-owned-by-monsanto.aspx
ReplyDeleteAnd Gryphen, please tell your daughter to check snopes before nagging: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/monsanto.asp
DeleteFrom that Snopes commentary: "this item appears to be an attempt to compile a list of companies selling food items that make use of products developed by Monsanto (such as artificial sweeteners or agricultural products derived from genetically engineered seed)."
DeleteI think that last part is what Gryphen's daughter was getting at, despite the title of the list which should probably be corrected/updated.
Hmmm we shop primarily at Aldi, so not a lot of these products, but... Heinz Ketchup? one of the only commercially available no HFCS ketchups so... suggest alternatives?
ReplyDeleteCampbells soups used to cook with for slow cooker - tried substitutes - not quite the same - and I can't afford to ruin a roast.
Without reading the labels I can't suggest a non-HFCS ketchup but I have made my own from scratch. There are organic ketchups out there.
DeleteThe only name brand alternative that comes to mind is Del Monte but I'm sure there are others. Even the generic store brand. Vons has their own Select brand now.
Anti-GMO is essentially anti-science, but don't let facts stop you.
ReplyDeleteI believe it would be labeled a "choice" about what you put in your body.
DeleteIt's pro-natural.
DeleteMichael Pollan
Real food.
If you can't make it in your kitchen (or grow it in your yard) it isn't real.
You can't make GMOs by hybridizing. You need a lab and equipment and lots of training and degrees. If those genes had been meant to be together, nature would be able to do it without any help from a lab.
I don't even know you Gryphen, but I'm so proud of your daughter. I am happy to see young peope aware and acctually care & share the information.
ReplyDeleteI can't live without my Morningstar Farms veggie sausage, bacon and veggie burgers!
ReplyDeleteHow about posting an INSTEAD OF list of items that are NOT Koch products. Activism should always come with a call to action for people to easily engage, not just a ringing of the bell. I'll start with the best potato chip snacks EV-AH!
ReplyDeleteInstead of Pringles, try Popchips by popchips, inc.
If it's gluten-free, I don't care who makes it.
ReplyDeleteUnless you have celiac disease then gluten-free diets are another one of those hysterical food trends that offer no benefit.
Deletehttp://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/truth-about-gluten
Agreed!
DeleteI assure you, I have not eliminated gluten from my diet because it's another of those hysterical food trends.
DeleteTry to make all my meals from scratch. When I make a stew, love the Jiffy buttermilk Biscuit mix. They are the best 'homemake' tasting tea biscuits anywhere, and I'm Canadian, and we're supposed to be the tea biscuit reigning champions.
ReplyDeleteOK, so the salt content in most of these products on the list are over the top, like Hormel, etc., a real hypertension delight.
We have tried to cook from scratch for the most part for a couple of years now, and it's made a difference in our weight -- sis has lost 20 pounds, and I've lost 50+ (yes, I really needed to).
DeleteYou're right about the salt content in these processed foods. It's still hard for me to keep the salt content in my meals down, even with restricting processed food use.
I just looked over the list, and here's what we usually use:
Rare: Bisquick ("impossible" quiches), Best Foods (mayo), Jiffy (cornbread mix for "tamale casserole", V8 (for one guest).
Moderate Use: Campbells (use soups concentrated), Green Giant (2-3 favorite froz. vegs), Hunts (or S&W for tomato products), Ragu (only lite Alfredo sauce).
That's it. We've also gone gluten-free in bread and pasta, which keeps us off that list.
KaJo,
DeleteIt's not just plain Sodium chloride (NaCl) table salt that you should be concerned with. You should be more concerned with common Sodium-based preservatives that are present in prepared and canned foods. They increase the Sodium content of the food without actually adding table salt.
We make a marinara sauce from vine tomatoes, either from our greenhouse or off-season from the supermarket. Simply cook down 2-lbs tomatoes, add cloves of garlic, chunks of onion and either dried of fresh italian herbs. After simmering for an hour you can put it in a food processor if you desire a less chunky consistency. We keep it around, in the freezer or in the fridge and add zucchini and/or chicken italian sausage depending on our mood. Sometimes we roast the tomatoes first in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes and then food process them with roasted garlic and roasted onions.
Give it a try and you'll never go back!
As far as gluten goes, if you don't have Celiac disease you don't have to worry about gluten in your diet, but if you want to spend more money and get less fiber then stick to your gluten free.
Also you do know that this list has been found to be a fake through Snopes.com, right? Aside from most of the foods on it being overly processed and not very healthy Monsanto doesn't own any of these companies, so even if you eat this stuff, you can do so with a clear "corporate conscience" if not the best dietary one.
I've eliminated all mixes. In fact, made my Mother's Mothers' Day chocolate cake from scratch as well as the frosting. Not that much extra effort and it tasted so much better.
DeleteI've got a basic mix recipe from jr. high that you just add things to to make different stuff. But I am going to be making my biscuits from scratch now. Got several recipes for Southern buttermilk biscuits I'll be trying. (Even though I don't own a cast iron skillet yet.)
As an Agronomist who has worked extensively in the safe manufacturing and use of pesticides, I have no trouble consuming GMO's. Monsanto made a fortune discovering and in the sales of glyphosate (Round-up). Because glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide (it kills anything it is sprayed on), Monsanto went further and developed crops (GMO's) that were resistant to Round-up. With these crops Round-up can be sprayed to kill the weeds but not the crops themselves. I don't know of a safer herbicide out there that is any safer for mammals that Round-up. The government from extensive outside studies has determined Round-up as being practically non-toxic. In terms of its safety, it's right below water.
ReplyDeleteSeed companies have also produced GMO's and are in common use today. As far as their safety I have absolutely no fear of whats so ever. They increase the number of people we can feed and also have improved flavor and pest resistance meaning that fewer pesticides are needed to produce a crop.
It has never been shown through independent peer reviewed studies that there is anything toxic or harmful about GMO's.
My biggest problem with Monsanto is its monopoly -- farmers who use Monsanto's GMO seeds must keep buying new seeds every year. On the "old days", farmers saved seeds from each year's best crop to plant the following year. My hubby does that with his tomato seeds. But now, farmers must shell out their hard-earned cash to buy from Monsanto.
DeleteAs for GMO itself, good gracious, ever since the first seeds appeared on the earth, they have been genetically modifying themselves. Now that it's being done "unnaturally" in order to increase crop output, all of a sudden it's dangerous?
My biggest issue with Monsanto and GMO labeling is that they spend a ton of money NOT to identify foods that have GMO modifications. In addition, they are putting farmers and anyone that wants to grow tomatoes in their backyard out of business by forcing bankruptcy and financial hardships to monopolize the entire growing market. It's the preservatives added to food that makes people sick.
DeleteRemember, their goal is to control the food and water supply (David Koch, 1980 Libertarian platform). If it's time-release pesticides to kill bugs, what do you think it's doing to people. The chemicals don't just magically disappear once the produce is harvested. The chemical reactions continue upon consumption (i.e., diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, dialysis, kidney failure, etc.)
Just saying....(as a farm manager)
Are you OK with eliminating 90% of the Monarch Butterfly population? Or possibly...extinction?
DeleteInstead of Pringles, get one of those microwave potato chip makers for $5. And then just be careful when you buy real food potatoes. Lots cheaper, low sodium, and much better for your health. I don't see mine listed here - it was the 25 chip plastic version with built in slicer. dollar store? http://www.theyummylife.com/microwave_potato_chips
ReplyDeleteThank you I was just going to post this. What caught my eye were the misspellings of a few of the brands and companies.
ReplyDeleteWhile we could talk about the effect of Monsanto's policy on farmers, what is known is that GMOs are safe to consume. To date, no studies have shown anything else. Furthermore, that list is not a list of Monsanto's companies. Who doesn't know that Coca Cola is a publicly traded company for example?
ReplyDeleteThis is just feeding the irrational fear of anti-GMOs.
I think it's a list of companies that worked to defeat the California GMO ballot initiative.
DeleteI'm OK with boycotting them just for that. (And participation in ALEC as a few of those names look familiar too.)
Seriously there are 7 billion people on this planet and we're fast running out of ways to feed them all. Agricultural production has increased exponentially in the last 100 years and it has only been in the last 50 years that even first-world countries have gained access to dependable food sources for a majority of the population.
ReplyDeleteWe're not going to be able to feed everyone without some science involved. There are still Americans that are happy just to have food and have neither the time nor energy worry about whether their meal contains "Round Up Ready" corn. There are second and third-world countries that have never had food security; I bet they'd be happy if Monsanto would help improve their food production.
Even in America we will soon find that the rate of population increase will outpace our ability to provide adequate food, not just for those that can afford food, but for everyone, regardless of economic status. In 50 years, unless we utilize modern, scientific farming processes, including GM seed, then a lot more will suffer hunger.
We live on a very crowded planet that is already showing signs of fighting back, against us, the human virus. Climate change, plus the depletion of arable lands is just the beginning.
Actually, those 3rd world countries wouldn't @ 8:06. You need to read about the Seed Satyahgraha movement in Indiana and Vandana Shiva's efforts. It's all anti Monsanto- which is trying have a monopoly on seeds.
DeleteSeed Satyahgraha movement in Indiana and Vandana Shiva's efforts
Deleteshould read "in India"
http://www.otherworldsarepossible.org/defending-global-commons
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1547185/reclaiming_the_seed.html
They done studies and GMO doesn't provide any more food so the starving masses argument doesn't hold water.
Delete1:57pm
DeleteNot exactly true. There are areas in the world that are benefitting from the natural genetic pest prevention in GM engineered plants. There are also plants being engineered to grow with less water and nutrients. This will become more important, even in the US where we are depleting our "bread basket" aquifers at an alarming rate. If the aquifers can withstand the current rate of usage, which it seems they can't because there is little precip adding to their recharge system, then fracking and other development will certainly compromise them.
A lot of this "food snobbery" is basically what we call a "First World Problem" as only in economically stable environments can a population be so picky about what they consume. Shortly we will begin to experience "Second and Third World" hunger and food shortages, here in the First World, and then all of a sudden GM seeds won't seem like that big of a deal because it will be a choice between starvation and and imaginary evil, even for the middle class.
I don't have a problem with GMO's as a concept. Starvation kills a lot faster than any probable-or possible- side effects on humans.
ReplyDelete*However*- they need to be used responsibly, ethically, and safely (for our environment)- which doesn't happen often at the moment. That is where I have the problem.
And I despise Monsanto's business practices.
Heh! The only product on that list I ever purchase is Hershey's Nestle. Yaay for me!
ReplyDeleteAs I venture further and further into cooking from scratch, more and more drops off the list. But I will have to switch to a different ketchup until I perfect my recipe for from scratch. I buy Best Foods mayo but can make that from scratch too. Just haven't perfected the flavor there either.
DeleteThere is a lot on that list I don't eat any more. When you eliminate cans and frozen pre-processed, a lot goes. Don't do soda, cereal or mixes any more.
I might add I think some of these companies are also members of ALEC. I think I saw Proctor and Gamble on that list?
Between Monsanto and the Koch Brothers, there isn't that much left to eat or buy.
Try substituting Aioli for store bought mayo. We use this recipe and and leave out the garlic and parsley and add a little Paprika if we want plain mayo, or add some Dijon mustard to spice it up a bit for certain dishes. Add a bit of crushed Tarragon for salmon, it's delicious and easy.
Deletehttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/garlic-aioli-recipe.html
Splicing fruit branches is GMO...so what's the big deal?
ReplyDeleteNo. It's not.
DeleteGMO requires a laboratory and equipment.
Grafting and hybridizing are NOT GMO. They are natural processes. GMO is not.
@10:16 - you dn't understand teh difference between hybridization and GMO. fruit/fruit does not equal cross species. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get that salmon to splice onto the tomato plant. And what gardener would WANT a terminator gene?
ReplyDeleteGo to Monarch Watch. They'll explain why 90% of our Monarch butterfly population has perished. It's because the milkweed, on which they exclusively lay their eggs and upon which their offspring exclusively feed has been wiped out. GMO corn and soy being sprayed with Round-up. And when the push for biofuels and the lifting of regulations allowed companies to encroach further into our protected grasslands, till them up and plant GMO crops, more milkweeds were eliminated.
ReplyDeleteMonarch Watch has a kit to create monarch way stations to allow for their migration. I only have a small front yard but I'll be putting in the kit with my raised bed gardens. I don't mind a few weeds and flowers. I might even dedicate an entire bed to just the Monarchs. I'll be planting clover and bee balm for the bees too.
I don't buy much of anything on that list either as I like to cook from scratch. But my son Joe has to have his Heinz ketchup. It's a vegetable to him, don't ya know.
ReplyDeleteThis list looks like a list of either products that use GMO in them (and there should be a lot more) or companies that worked to defeat the GMO labeling ballot proposition in California. (I think I see a few ALEC names too)
ReplyDeleteFor any of those reasons I'd avoid them.
But I've been avoiding a lot of them for years already. I'm trying to follow Michael Pollan's food rules more and more. I cook from scratch as much as I can (I'll do more after I retire) and I eliminated HFCS from my diet in 2009. I try to avoid corn and soy because they are GMO and that eliminates a lot. Plus no cans or pre-processed.
So it doesn't hurt me to avoid the Kochs, Monsanto, ALEC members, et al.
Thank you, your daughter and your commenters for the list and the tips. We have a lot of health problems in our family, so we've tried our best to eat real food home made, some home grown from scratch. Whenever we travel, we visit arboretums and look for sources for heirloom varieties.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest "beef" with our food supply is how poorly it's labelled. Sugar covered oat cereals are allowed to say "Whole Grain", when there's chemicals on the list one can't pronounce. We can a lot and used to go to farms in Lancaster, PA. The "Amish" sold out to Monsanto and are marking their fields with oars that have lot numbers. We try to buy local farm to table as often as possible. If there's a bug bite or bird nibble on it, that's what I buy.
Google is great for finding home cooked recipes from scratch that are more healthy. We don't know for certain where our food comes from in supermarkets, and what conditions/laws those countries have in place. We can do better.
Thanks Again IM'ers. I learned a lot
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/monsanto.asp
ReplyDelete