365 Ways #182–It’s Non-GMO Day!!!

#182--TIPS FOR AVOIDING GMOs from the Institute for Responsible Technology

USDA Organic Seal

Tip #1: Buy Organic
Certified organic products cannot intentionally include any GMO ingredients. Buy products labeled “100% organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic ingredients.” You can be doubly sure if the product also has a Non-GMO Project Verified Seal. Read more about organic standards...

Tip #2:
Made with Non-GMO Ingredients logo icon
Look for Non-GMO Project Seals
Products that carry the Non-GMO Project Seal are independently verified to be in compliance with North America’s only third party standard for GMO avoidance, including testing of at-risk ingredients. The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to providing consumers with clearly labeled and independently verified non-GMO choices. Look for dairy products labeled "No rBGH or rBST,” or “artificial hormone-free.”

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Sara Lee, and More Processed Food Products may contain GMOs

Tip #3: Avoid at-risk ingredients
If it’s not labeled organic or verified non-GMO: Avoid products made with ingredients that might be derived from GMOs (see list). The eight GM food crops are Corn, Soybeans, Canola, Cottonseed, Sugar Beets, Hawaiian Papaya (most) and a small amount of Zucchini and Yellow Squash.

Sugar If a non-organic product made in North American lists “sugar” as an ingredient (and NOT pure cane sugar), then it is almost certainly a combination of sugar from both sugar cane and GM sugar beets.

Dairy Products may be from cows injected with GM bovine growth hormone. Look for labels stating No rBGH, rBST, or artificial hormones.

Tip #4: Download the Non-GMO Shopping Guides
Use either IRT’s new Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure or redesigned Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help you identify and avoid GM foods. An entire page is devoted in each guide to help you uncover hidden GM ingredients on food labels that often read more like a chemical periodic table. If you have an iPhone, download the ShopNoGMO guide for free from the iTunes store at:

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/download.html