What are GMOs? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and is a label applied to species that scientists have altered in some way to make them more robust, pest and disease resistant. GMOs are most prevalent in corn and soybean, two foods that are common ingredients in many of the packaged and processed foods we eat. Many of these foods are commonly found in the center aisles of the grocery store and include everything from crackers to cookies and soups to sauces. Devoted label readers can identify when a processed food includes corn or soybean, but many people might not know that GMO corn is often used in the manufacture of things like citric acid, high fructose corn syrup, and corn starch. GMO soybeans are used in soybean oil—which is widely used for processed foods and in restaurant chains. In fact, soybean oil accounts for 61% of Americans' vegetable-oil consumption. It's also often used to make an emulsifier called soy lecithin, which is present in a lot of processed foods, including dark chocolate bars and candy. Other popular and approved GMO food crops include sugar beets, alfalfa, canola, papaya and summer squash. More recently, GMO apples that don’t brown and bruise-free potatoes were also approved by the FDA.
At Norm’s Farms we have always believed in full disclosure labeling and providing our customers all the information they need to make an informed buying choice. If avoiding GMOs is important to you, we know that third party proof that our products are GMO-free is essential to your purchase decision making. We recently had our black elderberry supplements tested by Nutrasource, a company that specializes in testing supplements for GMO ingredients, purity and potency. We received our GMO-Free verification from Nutrasource this July and are already working with our graphics designer to have our supplement labels updated with the Nutrasource GMO-Free Verification logo. Look for that GMO Free Verification logo to appear on our labels soon...as soon as we run through our current stock of labels!
