The Dangerous Ingredient Turning Up in 'Natural' Foods

The natural food industry has been hijacked. Although 64 percent of people think a "natural" claim on the label guarantees food is free of genetically engineered ingredients, new Consumer Reports testing shows that's just not the case. In fact, popular "natural" foods regularly test positive for genetically engineered, also known as GMO, ingredients.

Why Is This a Problem?

A few reasons:
• Most GMO corn and soy are grown to survive sprayings of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, a chemical linked to cell death and all sorts of health problems.
• A recent Norwegian study found that U.S. GMO soy contains "extreme" levels of glyphosate. (Translation: We're eating it.)
• In 2014, International Agency for Research on Cancer researchers found that exposure to glyphosate doubled a farmer's risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• U.S. consumers are confused by labeling claims! That's why Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports, and many health and food watchdog groups are pushing for mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Consumer Reports is also calling for a ban on using the term "natural" on products containing GMO ingredients.
"Foods that are frozen, made from concentrate, or homogenized are all required to be labeled. Why shouldn't products containing GMOs also be labeled?" says Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumer Reports. "Shoppers are being misled when they buy products labeled 'natural' given their expectation that they are getting foods that contain no GMOs."

Testing the 'Natural' Label
Consumer Reports wanted to see how many foods contain GMOs, and whether or not people could rely on packaging claims that suggest there are no GMOs in certain products. The organization bought more than 80 different processed foods containing corn or soy, two of the most widely grown genetically engineered crops in the U.S., and tested the foods for significant GMO contamination.
The major findings? Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified foods were free of GMOs, while virtually all of the samples Consumer Reports tested that made only a "natural" claim contained a substantial amount of GMO material.

Snack Bars
Tested Positive for GMOs:
• Kellogg's Special K Protein Chocolatey Peanut Butter Granola Snack Bar
• Nature Valley Crunchy Oats 'N Honey Granola
• Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chewy Bar
• Nice! Oats & Honey Crunchy Granola Bar (Walgreens)
• PowerBar Performance Energy Chocolate Peanut Butter

Better GMO-Free Options:
• Clif Builder's Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
• Kind Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate

Breakfast Cereals
Tested Positive for GMOs:
• General Mills Cocoa Puffs
• General Mills Corn Chex
• General Mills Kix
• General Mills Trix
• Kashi GoLean
• Kashi GoLean Hearty Honey & Cinnamon (hot cereal)
• Kellogg's Froot Loops
• Quaker Life Original

Better GMO-Free Options:
• Barbara's Puffins Peanut Butter
• Beechnut/Goya Corn Cereal
• Kashi GoLean Crunch
• Nature's Path Organic Sunrise Crunchy Maple
• Post Grape Nuts Original

Corn Chips/Snacks
Tested Positive for GMOs:
• Doritos Oven Baked Nacho Cheese
• Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar
• Snyder's of Hanover Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
• Tostitos Multigrain Tortilla Chips
• Utz All Natural Multigrain Tortillas
• Xochitl Totopos de Maiz

Better GMO-Free Options:
• 365 Everyday Value Organic Tortilla Chips White Corn (Whole Foods)
• Barcel Takis Nitro
• Food Should Taste Good Yellow Corn Dipping Chips
• Guiltless Gourmet All-Natural Baked Not Fried Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
• Mission Organics Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Que Pasa Organic Tortilla Chips
• Simply Tostitos Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
• Trader Joe's Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chip Rounds
• Xochitl Totopos de Maiz White Corn Chips Organic