Six Common Foods with Hidden GMOs (Part II)
It shouldn’t really surprise anybody that the domestic food industry focuses on its own bottom line at the expense of the quality of the American diet and the health of the citizens of the United States. That said, learning that foods you’ve eaten since childhood, long before GMOs even existed, may now be tainted by the bio-engineering tricks of Monsanto and its ilk can still be quite disconcerting. Here are a few more common foods that you’d probably never suspect contain genetically-modified ingredients.
3. Mixed nuts We all know that tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts and cashews are a good source of protein and healthy fats; I’ve personally even begun to eat and enjoy them after avoiding most types of nuts* like the plague for many years due to a severe childhood allergy. How, you may ask, can something like tree nuts, which have not been genetically modified, contain GMOs? Sadly, many brands of commercially-processed mixed nuts, including industry giant Planters, contain things like soy oil, corn-based additives, and other GMO goodies. Retailers such as Trader Joe’s sell all types of nuts (both individually and mixed) without these unnecessary additives; the large bag of TJs walnuts I have on my counter lists one ingredient: walnuts. Keep reading labels, and choose only nuts without questionable additives; there are plenty of readily-available retail sources for them. Better yet, make your own mixed nuts; you know they always skimp on
the cashews in those mixed-nut cans anyway.
*Contrary to what many folks believe, peanuts are legumes, not nuts.
4. Mustard When I was a kid, there was the French’s yellow mustard that I preferred, and the Gulden’s spicy brown mustard that my father liked. Today, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of types and brands of mustards, but some of them, primarily the well-known commercial brands, contain a dirty little secret: GMOs. Again, this may seem counterintuitive, until you realize that mustard is made with vinegar, and white vinegar is frequently made from corn, a fact that had escaped me until I began researching this topic. So, vinegar that is labeled “All Naturalmay be anything but; in fact, our friends at the H.J. Heinz Company were recently sued by a California plaintiff for making false product claims by labeling their vinegar “all natural”even though it is produced from genetically modified corn. According to the complaint, Heinz “sources its ingredients from U.S. commodity suppliers who supply GM crops. Large volume food
manufacturers who wish to use non-GM ingredients must specifically source their crops or undertake the additional step of purchasing and verifying the supply from non-GM growers….
We’ll report on the court’s decision when one is announced; meanwhile, to avoid GMOs in your mustard, you should probably buy an organic brand.