How Much GM Food Are You Really Eating?

Note from Kate: What you are about to see may feel very overwhelming, especially if you are new to the idea of real food or healthy eating.  Please don’t let this discourage you.  The intent is simply to show you how prevalent GMOs really are in our food supply.  We have a lot of information here on taking baby steps to healthier eating. We’re here to help — we just want you to be informed.

By Contributing Writer Sarah Nichols

Genetically modified (GM) food has been in the news a lot lately.  Many people are trying to get genetically modified food labeled in the grocery store so that consumers know what they are really buying.  While it’s good that many more people are becoming aware of GM food, I think there’s a huge misperception about how prevalent GM food really is.  It is so prevalent in our food supply that I actually had a hard time finding foods that didn’t contain probable GM ingredients while doing my research for this post.  Furthermore, most foods contained an assortment of probable GM food ingredients, not just one or two.

What is GM food?

Dictionary.com defines genetically modified food as “pertaining to a living organism whose genetic material has been altered, changing one or more of it’s characteristics; bioengineered.” (source) There is a lot of debate about the health and safety of genetically modified foods.  Biotechnology corporations, of course, tout that these foods are safe and pose no health risks.  However, plenty of other research indicates otherwise. Please, if you are not familiar with GM food, do some research before reading the next part of this article.  It’s important to decide for yourself if GM food is something you want your family consuming.

• What is a GMO?
• Are GMOs Safe? (part 1)
• Are GMOs Safe? (part 2)
• Say No to GMOs

What to Look For

There are 8 main GM foods that we have to consider right now.  Corn, soy, rapeseed (canola), cotton, papaya, zucchini, yellow squash, and sugar beets. Right now over 80% of corn on the market is GM corn (source), over 90% of soy is genetically modified (source), about 90% of rapeseed grown was GM, and GM sugarbeet makes up 90% of the market (source).

When looking for probable GM ingredients in foods, you want to look for not only the ingredients but possible derivatives of those ingredients as well. Note: Some of these ingredients, like “natural flavor” are possible derivatives.

This is a list of all ingredients which are or may be derived from the ingredient listed:

Corn

• Corn
• Ascorbic acid
• Baking powder (contains cornstarch)
• Any form of citrate
• Caramel coloring
• Cellulose
• Citric acid
• Corn meal
• Corn starch
• Corn syrup
• Dextrin
• Maltodextrin
• Dextrose
• Ethanol
• Ferrous gluconate
• Flavoring (natural flavor)
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
• Lactic acid
• Magnesium stearate
• Malic acid
• Malt
• Malt flavoring
• Maltitol
• Maltodextrin
• Maltose
• Mannitol
• Modified food starch
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG),
• Polydextrose
• Saccharin
• Sodium erythorbate
• Sodium starch glycolate
• Sorbitan
• Sorbitan Monostearate
• Sorbitol
• Sucralose
• Xantham gum
• Xylitol

(source) (This list contains food ingredients that may be derived from corn.  For a complete listing of ALL ingredients derived from corn and explanations, go here.)

Soy

• Edamame
• Hydrolyzed soy protein
• Tofu
• Miso
• Natto
• Soy pulp
• Shoyu sauce
• Soy albumin
• Soy bran
• Soy concentrate
• Soy fiber
• Soy flour
• Soy milk
• Soy protein
• Soy protein concentrate
• Soy protein isolate
• Soy sauce
• Soy sprouts
• Soya
• Soya flour
• Soybeans
• Soybean granules
• Soybean curd
• Soybean flour
• Soy lecithin
• Soybean paste
• Supro
• Tamari
• Tempeh
• Teriyaki sauce
• Textured soy flour (TSF)
• Textured soy protein (TSP)
• Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• Artificial flavorings
• Hydrolyzed plant protein (HVP)
• Natural flavor
• Vegetable broth
• Vegetable gum
• Vegetable starch

(source)

Canola

• Canola oil
• Fully hydrogenated rapeseed/canola oil
• Superglycerinated rapeseed/canola oil
• Low erucic acid rapeseed/canola oil
• Hydrogenated rapeseed/canola oil
• Partially hydrogenated rapeseed/canola oil
• Oilseed/canola rape

(source)

Sugar Beet

• Sugar
• Invert sugar
• Inverted sugar syrup

Cotton

• Cottonseed oil
• Methylcellulose

Papaya 

• Most non-organic papaya is GM (source)

Yellow Squash/Zucchini

• A small amount of these are GM.

GM Food on Your Grocery Store Shelves

I really want to open your eyes to the amount of GM foods that are consumed on a daily basis if you eat the Standard American Diet (SAD).  In order to do so, I went to my local grocery store and took a picture of each type of food to see if it contained GM ingredients.  This is in no way comprehensive.  I tried to pick name brands that you would find across the country and I tried to include every category of food. Following is the list of food categories and the probable GM ingredients I found in them.

***Note: if the food contained meat, egg or dairy products, I listed them as probable GM ingredients since conventionally raised animals are fed large amounts of GM corn and soy.

Bread

Condiments, Sauces, Dressings, and Marinades

Crackers, Chips, and Other Snacks

Cooking and Baking

Eggs, Meat and Dairy

Prepared and Packaged Foods

Drinks

Baby and Kid

Canned Foods

Sports Bars and Granola Bars

Desserts and Sweets

Avoiding GM Food

As you can see, the average American is consuming an abundant amount of GM food on a daily basis.  Shockingly, many of the foods with “healthy” claims on their labels had more GM ingredients in them then their “unhealthy” counterparts. It’s time for change!

While it may seem overwhelming at first, there are some simple steps you can take to drastically reduce the amount of genetically modified foods you consume.

1. Buy organic.  Organic foods are not allowed to contain genetically modified ingredients.  Sometimes cross-pollination does occur, so your best bet is to buy Non-GMO verified products.  You can see the whole list here.
2. Buy local.  You can buy food at your local farmer’s market and from local farms.  Make sure they are growing Non-GMO plants first though if buying corn, papaya, yellow squash, or zucchini. You can also buy meat, dairy, and eggs at your local farmer’s market.  Always ask to make sure the animals are pastured and not fed GM grains.
3. If you aren’t ready to give up refined sugars, be sure to buy organic or “pure cane sugar.”  Those will be sure to not contain sugar from GMO beets.
4. Make things at home.  This is the best option for avoiding all the ingredients you don’t want your family to consume.  Yes, it takes more time and energy, but the health of our families makes it well worth the effort.
5. Baby steps.  If you are reading this and completely overwhelmed at the realization of what your family is eating, take a deep breath.  Now that you know what is actually in your food you can begin to make baby steps to slowly transition your family away from the processed lifestyle.  Make one change at a time and tell yourself that one change is one less GM ingredient going into your family.  Celebrate your victories.

Are you surprised by the amount of GM foods in the store? Are you concerned about GMOs?  What is your best tip or word of encouragement for someone who is just realizing the dangers of GM ingredients in their food?

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