Non-GMO Ad... (1 Viewer)

[Stargazer]

I saw this television ad tonight and thought it was AWESOME how there seems to be so much increasing focus on organic and non-GMO foods lately--even in the mainstream!

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wfBF/triscuit-triscuit-is-non-gmo-project-verified-ft-cecily-strong

 

[Linda]

How funny - I used triscuits as an example in some comment I made somewhere recently. I've been noticing more and more of those little non-GMO labels popping up on all kinds of food. The reason triscuits surprised me was that they are made by Nabisco, which has far from a good reputation.

My questions are about Monsanto and their products such as Round-up and Round-up ready seeds and exactly what does non GMO mean.

Would Nabisco break ranks with Monsanto? Does non-GMO mean the crops were not treated with pesticides?

It is a cute commercial and does bring food awareness into the mainstream. Now if I could just tie down those pesky details......

 

[CrystalSong]

How funny - I used triscuits as an example in some comment I made somewhere recently. I've been noticing more and more of those little non-GMO labels popping up on all kinds of food. The reason triscuits surprised me was that they are made by Nabisco, which has far from a good reputation.

My questions are about Monsanto and their products such as Round-up and Round-up ready seeds and exactly what does non GMO mean.

Would Nabisco break ranks with Monsanto? Does non-GMO mean the crops were not treated with pesticides?

It is a cute commercial and does bring food awareness into the mainstream. Now if I could just tie down those pesky details......

I got some pesky questions too. Nabisco is a major brand under the Monsanto family, for them to have even ONE GMO-free product is a bit surprising. Also I really noticed the use of the wording "Non-GMO PROJECT verified." That word project could hide a lot. Like a project formed for advertising purposes by Monsanto itself. Yeah looking into exactly what that is would be illuminating I suspect.
The other niggle here is the ingredients used in Triscuits
Ingredients
Reduced Fat Triscuit: whole wheat, soybean and/or palm oil, salt

With the exception of salt the rest are genetically modified crops and its rather difficult to find them that are not genetically modified as there's a Huge penalty on farmers who try and grow these crops in non gmo versions and without the use of Round Up and some scary fertilizers.

Having said all that I would really like to see more mainstream advertising and news articles and general awareness around Genetically Modified crops, Deadly weed killers and harsh chemical fertilizers so folks can get informed!!!

 

[Stargazer]

It would be interesting to trace back the roots of this group to see how connected they may be to Monsato, et al.

https://www.nongmoproject.org/about/

 

[Linda]

I looked around the Nabisco and Non GMO websites and have more questions. So I submitted this question to the Non GMO folks. I'll let you know what happens.


Seeing Triscuits with the non-gmo stamp and a recent TV ad got me thinking. Are Round-up ready wheat seeds consider genetically modified? Are crops sprayed with pesticides such as Round-up considered GMO free.

From the Nabisco website - "The wheat in Triscuit crackers has always been produced without modern biotechnology, and no genetically engineered wheat is currently available for commercial use."

The last sentence is interesting and suggests that Round-up ready crops are not considered genetically engineered.

So, what is the story here? Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks

 

[Carl]

So I submitted this question to the Non GMO folks. I'll let you know what happens.

Take their answer with a grain of salt. Why? Because many times corporations run replies thru their legal departments so it is phrased in a way that their reply doesn't come to bite them back in the behind if the are caught in a lie or their normal half-trues.

 

[Linda]

Take their answer with a grain of salt. Why? Because many times corporations run replies thru their legal departments so it is phrased in a way that their reply doesn't come to bite them back in the behind if the are caught in a lie or their normal half-trues.

True, but a run-around answer will be telling, as well.

 

[CrystalSong]

I looked around the Nabisco and Non GMO websites and have more questions. So I submitted this question to the Non GMO folks. I'll let you know what happens.


Seeing Triscuits with the non-gmo stamp and a recent TV ad got me thinking. Are Round-up ready wheat seeds consider genetically modified? Are crops sprayed with pesticides such as Round-up considered GMO free.

From the Nabisco website - "The wheat in Triscuit crackers has always been produced without modern biotechnology, and no genetically engineered wheat is currently available for commercial use."

The last sentence is interesting and suggests that Round-up ready crops are not considered genetically engineered.

So, what is the story here? Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks

We say we want Non-GMO (and we do of course) but we also want food free of chemicals from Round-up and Chemical fertilizers. Those are very separate things than Non-GMO (Genetically modified) So what we really want is Non-GMO, Pesticide free, 100% certified Organic. Then we've got a chance of avoiding some free-radicals and poisons and things that alter our cells.

 

[Linda]

I've just looked at articles from Harvard, MIT, and even Wikipedia and all describe the Monsanto seeds as being genetically modified to resist Round-up. This is my question - are these Round-up ready crops non GMO or not according to their definitions.

 

[Stargazer]

Monsanto seeds as being genetically modified to resist Round-up. This is my question - are these Round-up ready crops non GMO or not according to their definitions.

Wow. There's the classic case of creating the problem, then creating the solution. Like a snake always chasing its tail...

 

[CrystalSong]

I've just looked at articles from Harvard, MIT, and even Wikipedia and all describe the Monsanto seeds as being genetically modified to resist Round-up. This is my question - are these Round-up ready crops non GMO or not according to their definitions.

My understanding is Round-Up ready means the seed/crop will survive having Round-Up (a really caustic weed killer) sprayed on it. It follows it would have to be genetically engineered in order to survive Round-up.

 

[Linda]

I got an answer today, and it was very specific.


Hello Linda!
This is a really good question! Let's start with that quote from the Nabisco website: "The wheat in Triscuit crackers has always been produced without modern biotechnology, and no genetically engineered wheat is currently available for commercial use."

This is true, and the bolded part is especially important. While Round-up Ready wheat does exist and Monsanto has tested it before, it has not been approved for commercial production or sale anywhere. The EPA has not deregulated any variety of GMO wheat. This means you won't find farmers growing GMO wheat and you won't find GMO wheat in your bread or Triscuits.

At the Non-GMO Project, wheat is on our "Monitored Risk List". This means we are aware that it is in development and are keeping an eye on it, but there isn't any out there on the market right now.

So yes, Round-up ready aka glyphosate-resistant strains of wheat have been created and they are absolutely GMOs, but they are not grown or sold.

To answer the second part of that question though, non-GMO crops sprayed with pesticides (including glyphosate / Round-up) are still non-GMO. Our Standard only covers testing for GMOs, pesticides are outside of that scope. Most of us consider Non-GMO Project Verified + Certified Organic to be the gold standard for food.

If you'd like to know more about monitored risk crops, you can read our Standard. I'd look at pages 9 and 31.

If you would like to know more about the state of GMO wheat or learn about a couple times Monsanto's test plots contaminated other fields, read the USDA's report here.

I hope this helps answer your question! Please feel free to reply if you have additional questions.

Join the non-GMO community! Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive updates about the Non-GMO Project, latest news, lifestyle tips, recipes and more! Thank you.


Sincerely,
Non-GMO Project Outreach Team

 

[Snowmelt]

At the Non-GMO Project, wheat is on our "Monitored Risk List". This means we are aware that it is in development and are keeping an eye on it, but there isn't any out there on the market right now.

Hmmm. The difference between created, and grown and sold, eh? Sounds like it won't be long before their project loses its raison d'etre. Once it is grown and sold and flooding the market, they will no longer need to monitor it on a Risk List. The risk will have overtaken the fear, and become reality, highlighting the "lovely" prospect of regulation ruled by committee. And that only addressed Part A of your question. You were correct in surmising in Part B that glyphosate-resistant is outside their definitions of non-GMO at this stage.

 

[CrystalSong]

The bolded part is interesting also, since wheat, rice and a few other crops have been hybrid (genetically altered)for a great many years, meaning any claims they make that their wheat is not genetically altered is bogus.

From Wiki under Taxonomy of Wheat "During 10,000 years of cultivation, numerous forms of wheat, many of them hybrids, have developed under a combination of artificial and natural selection.[1] This diversity has led to much confusion in the naming of wheats"

This gives lots of slippery room for anyone to make any claims about wheat and for much argument about what is genetically altered and what is not.

 

[Linda]

There is a difference between GMO and hybrid seeds.

Genetically modified means the seeds have been altered in a lab with other products. From Appendix A of the Standards mentioned in their email - An organism in which the genetic material has been changed through biotechnology in a way that does not occur naturally by multiplication and/or natural recombination ; cloned animals are included within this definition

Hybridization has been going ever since people began cultivating crops. (My grandfather showed me how he made hybrid roses for my grandmother.) This process involves combining separate strains through cross pollination, and the point was to create a new strain that would do better in a specific place with certain soils. This process took several years to complete, and seeds could be used for next year's crop.

Thanks to the work of Mendal, (I still recall studying this in school so long ago) big companies got into agribusiness because they could produce hybrid seeds in one generation, but the catch is that the seeds of these plants do not have the same characteristics as the parent crop. This means that farmers have to purchase new seeds each year, AND these crops often require special fertilizer and pesticides.

After reading through the material on the Non-GMO Project site, I don't doubt their sincerity or methods. If you want a real kick in the head read pages 28 and 29 of the Standards cited in their email. It describes the high-risk crops and products, such as vitamin C additives and supplements.

This certification does not go far enough for me because fertilizer and pesticides are just as much as menace to healthy foods. It might be just me, but when I see the little non-GMO label, I think the food is safe. I wonder how others view this label? So, the certification is valid, but I want better food, which means certified organic.

However, I can see a bit of a pale silver cloud lining. With more public awareness, people are seeking non-GMO food, and more and more food providers are listening to their customers. Of course, I doubt the public understands that the crops were likely dosed with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Also, for some crops such as corn and soy, recovery to large harvests with non-GMO status could take years because so much contamination has occurred.

Some of this info comes from an article on Food Renegade http://www.foodrenegade.com/hybrid-seeds-vs-gmos/

 

[Lila]

Yes, the labels are more and more confusing, less and less helpful and we are more and more on our own...
Having said that, those "little conversations" with anyone, from consumers to producers to grocers make all the difference. It's the only way real awareness progresses, and change tends to follow... one step at a time.

I can give dozens of stories just from my little neck of the woods.
My favourite was the grass fed milk that I requested at the grocery store I most frequent. They gave me a call when it came in at a time when I couldn't come in for a day or two. When I did they were already 'all out', so I was able to celebrate the fact that my request had made a real, though small, difference. And now I can ride down on my bike and get it so much more easily when I need it.

You know what they say, plant a flower bulb each day (or week or month or...) and in no time you'll have a hillside full of flowers
Thanks for all the tips and links, Linda