Tips for avoiding GMOs in your food

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> This month's Spilling the Beans features a new pamphlet on Tips to Avoid

> GMOs. To view a PDF of this new handout, click here. (

> http://www.seedsofdeception.com/DocumentFiles/141.pdf)

>

> Dear Subscriber,

>

> This month's newsletter features another new brochure you can download at no

> cost, produced by our Institute. While last month s Health Risks brochure

> was sure to motivate you to avoid eating GMOs, this month s Avoiding GMO Tips

> brochure should make it easier to shop and buy healthier non-GMO brands for

> yourself and family. The brochure is fully formatted online, ready for reading

> or download. A long list of GM derivatives appears for you to study at the

> end.

>

> ARE YOU ONE OF THE 9 OUT OF 10 AMERICANS OPPOSED TO UNLABELED GM FOODS?

> PEW RESEARCH

>

> This guide will help you determine which products are made from genetically

> modified organisms (GMOs) so you can make healthier non-GMO brand buying

> choices. GMOs are made by transferring genes from one species, such as

bacteria,

> viruses, or animals, into the DNA of other species, such as corn.

>

> Though most industrialized countries require labeling of GMOs, the U.S. does

> not. 9 out of 10 Americans want genetically modified (GM) foods to be

> labeled. Most people say they would avoid brands if labeled as GM.

>

> This guide is produced by The Institute for Responsible Technology, your

> consumer safety partner and a world leader in exposing the health risks of

GMOs.

> Look for our Non-GMO Shopping Guide coming in mid-2008. For more details or

> to make a donation, please go to www.responsibletechnology.org.

>

> HOW TO MAKE SAFER BUYING CHOICES

> GMO Defensive Shopping List

>

> What crops are most often GMOs? Examples of products commonly containing

> GMOs

>

> SOY (89%)* Chocolates use soy lecithin; Breads use soy flour; Shakes use soy

> protein concentrate; Baby formulas use soy milk.

>

> CORN (61%)* High fructose corn syrup is found in sodas, cereals, cookies,

> candy, salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, and 1,000 other products. Baked

goods

> use cornstarch; Vegetable oils use corn oil; Breads use corn flour.

>

> CANOLA (80%)* Fried products use canola oil; Baked goods use canola oil;

> Many health products use canola oil.

>

> COTTON (83%)* Chips use cottonseed oil; Fried snacks use cottonseed oil.

>

> * Percentage of GM cotton, corn, and soy in the US and GM canola grown in

> Canada.

>

> TIP #1: BUY ORGANIC

> There are three types of organic labels:

>

> 100% ORGANIC means all ingredients are organic.

> ORGANIC means that at least 95% of the ingredients are organic. The other

> 5%, however, still have to be non-GMO.

> MADE WITH ORGANIC _________ (ingredient name, e.g. SOY). This label means

> that at least 70% of the ingredients are organic, but the remaining 30% still

> have to be non-GMO.

>

> If the term organic is ONLY in the list of ingredients and not found

> anywhere else on the package, then there is no required percentage for organic

> ingredients in the product, and any non-organic ingredient may be GMO.

>

> TIP #2: LOOK FOR NON-GMO LABELS

> Companies may voluntarily label products as non-GMO . Some labels state

> non-GMO while others spell out MADE WITHOUT GENETICALLY MODIFIED INGREDIENTS .

> Some products limit their claim to only one particular AT-RISK ingredient such

> as soy lecithin, listing it as non-GMO .

>

> TIP #3: AVOID AT-RISK INGREDIENTS

> The four major GM crops are soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola. Three minor

> crops are Hawaiian papaya, and a small amount of zucchini and yellow crook

> neck squash. These 7 crops look just like their non-GMO counterparts. Novel

> products such as seedless watermelons, pear/apple combos, and tangelos are

> products of natural breeding and are NOT genetically engineered.

>

> Most GM ingredients are products made from corn and soybeans, used in

> processed foods. (See chart on page 4.) There is no GM popcorn on the market,

nor

> is there blue or white GM corn.

>

> Help stop the introduction of GM sugar in late 2008. Send a letter to top

> companies on our website.

>

> TIP #4: USE SHOPPING GUIDES

> There are a few non-GMO shoppers guides available based on information

> directly from food producers. The True Food Guide, available online at

> www.truefoodnow.org, has also been reproduced as an insert in the back of the

> informative book on GMOs, Your Right To Know by Kimbrell. Go to

> www.seedsofdeception.com.

>

> OTHER WAYS TO AVOID GMOs

>

> ANIMAL PRODUCTS

> Meats, dairy products, farmed fish, and eggs are usually from animals fed GM

> feed. To avoid, buy ORGANIC , WILD CAUGHT , or meat or dairy from 100%

> GRASS-FED animals. Avoid dairy products from cows injected with GM bovine

growth

> hormone (called rbGH or rbST). See www.responsibletechnology.org for brands.

> Honey and bee pollen may have been gathered from GM plants.

>

> PRODUCTS FROM GM MICROORGANISMS

> There are many additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents used in

> foods which are produced by GM bacteria, yeast, or fungi. To avoid them,

> either buy organic or stick to non-processed foods.

>

> GMO SWEETENER ASPARTAME

> Avoid the GMO derivative labeled as the sweetener aspartame. It is also

> referred to as NutraSweet® and Equal® and is found in over 6,000 products,

> including soft drinks, gum, candy, desserts, mixes, yogurt, tabletop

sweeteners,

> and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

>

> AVOID GMOs IN RESTAURANTS

> Try to go to restaurants that cook meals from scratch and do not use

> packaged, processed mixes and sauces which will likely have GM ingredients.

At-risk

> ingredients include corn chips and tortillas, tofu, soy sauce, and sweet

> corn. Vegetable oil is usually made from GM soy, corn, cottonseed, or canola

and

> is used by most restaurants. Find out if your restaurant uses vegetable oil,

> and if so, ask if they can cook YOUR meal without oil or with a non-GMO oil,

> such as olive, sunflower, or safflower.

>

> Buy non-GMO. Help us stop the genetic engineering of our food supply.

> Membership in the Institute For Responsible Technology is $25 and includes a

> free educational gift.

>

> Donations to IRT are tax-deductible. Become a member or make a donation

> through the website, or mail a check to:

>

> Institute For Responsible Technology

> P.O. Box 469 Fairfield, IA 52556

> www.responsibletechnology.org

> or call (641) 209-1765

>

> INSTITUTE FOR RESPONSIBLE TECHNOLOGY

> The Institute is a fully tax deductible project of The Coordinating Council,

> a 501c(3).

>

> INVISIBLE GM INGREDIENTS

>

> Processed foods often have hidden GM sources (unless they are organic or

> declared non-GMO). The following are ingredients that may be made from GM soy,

> corn, cotton, or canola.

>

> aspartame

> gluten

> modified starch

> baking powder

> glycerides

> monosodium glutamate

> bee pollen

> glycerin

> oleic acid

> caramel color

> glycerol

> Phenylalanine

> cellulose

> glycerol mono-oleate

> phytic acid

> citric acid

> glycine

> sorbitol

> cobalamin (Vitamin B12)

> hemicellulose

> soy flour

> corn gluten

> high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

> soy isolates

> corn masa

> hydrogenated starch

> soy lecithin

> corn oil

> hydrolyzed vegetable protein

> soy protein

> corn syrup

> inositol

> starch

> cornmeal

> invert sugar (colorose or inversol)

> stearic acid

> cornstarch

> tamari

> inverse syrup

> cyclodextrin

> isoflavones

> tempeh

> cystein

> lactic acid

> threonine

> dextrin

> lecithin

> tocopherols (Vitamin E)

> dextrose

> leucine

> tofu

> diacetyl

> lysine

> trehalose

> diglyceride

> malitol

> triglyceride

> fructose

> maltodextrin

> vegetable fat

> fructose (crystalline)

> maltose

> vegetable oil

> glucose

> mannitol

> Vitamin B12

> glutamate

> methylcellulose

> Vitamin E

> glutamic acid

> milo starch

> xanthan gum

>

> Our understanding is that ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), although usually

> derived from corn, is probably not GM because it is not made in North America.

> Honey and bee pollen may contain GMOs if the beehives are near GM crops.

>

> This list is continually being updated and refined. For the most recent

> version, see www.responsibletechnology.org.

>

> © copyright Institute For Responsible Technology 2008

>

> M. is the author of publication Genetic Roulette: The

> Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, which presents 65

risks in

> easy-to-read two-page spreads. His first book, Seeds of Deception, is the top

> rated and #1 selling book on GM foods in the world. He is the Executive

> Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology.

> www.responsibletechnology.org, which is spearheading the Campaign for

Healthier Eating in America. Go to

> www.seedsofdeception.com to learn more about how to avoid GM foods.

>

> Spilling the Beans is a monthly column available at

> www.responsibletechnology.org. The website also offers eater-friendly tips for

avoiding GMOs at home

> and in restaurants.

>

> Permission is granted to publishers and webmasters to reproduce issues of

> Spilling the Beans in whole or in part. Just email us at

> column@... so that we can keep track. Contact us for a

higher resolution of

> the brochure if needed.

>

> For a more in-depth look at 65 health risks of GM foods, excerpted from

> 's comprehensive new book Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health

> Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, click here.

> (http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/GeneticRoulette/

> HealthRisksofGMFoodsSummaryDebate/index.cfm)

>

>

**************

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