Edward & Sons® Organic Rice Crackers Leads List of Gluten Free Products with Zero Detectable Levels of Glyphosate

Consumer advocacy group Moms Across America had 46 gluten free food products tested for glyphosate residues; Edward & Sons® Organic Brown Rice Snaps® was one of only two products that had zero detectable levels of the toxic, synthetic herbicide.

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (July 9, 2024) – According to a new report by Moms Across America, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, 46 samples of organic and non-organic gluten free foods were tested for glyphosate – the most widely used herbicide in the world and one linked to a variety of health issues. The results showed that 44 out of 46 samples contained glyphosate residues. Moreover, the tests revealed that not all organic, gluten free products were free of glyphosate.

However, one organic product line, Edward & Sons Organic Brown Rice Snaps®, had no detectable levels of glyphosate, according to Moms Across America’s test results.

For a summary of the results, visit here.

In the U.S., 12% of men and 9% of women report eating gluten free diets. Globally, approximately 660 million people avoid gluten. It also is estimated that 1 in 100 people worldwide are affected by celiac disease.

"Moms Across America was thrilled to find that Edward & Sons' rice crackers, a staple in many of our homes, had no detectable level of glyphosate. Only two gluten free products out of the 46 samples tested achieved this status,” said Zen Honeycutt, Founder and Executive Director of Moms Across America.

“In an increasingly toxic environment, for a product not to be contaminated with glyphosate is no small feat. It takes integrity and commitment to source clean ingredients, and we are thrilled to celebrate companies that are producing safe, nontoxic, quality foods. We hope many brands are inspired by the results and urge their suppliers to discontinue glyphosate and all toxic agrochemical use and transition to regenerative and organic farming for a thriving future. Thank you, Edward & Sons!" Honeycutt added.

“It has become increasingly challenging for all of us to avoid contaminants in our food, water and air,” explained Joel Dee, Founder and Director of leading organic and plant-based foods pioneer Edward & Sons Trading Company, Inc. “At Edward & Sons, we take the challenge seriously. We are proud of the recognition received by our organic baked Brown Rice Snaps. It validates the selection and practices of our farmer-partners. Their commitment to organic agriculture nurtures their local ecology, protects farmers and consumers, and makes possible the most delicious and nutritious foods we can offer.”

Glyphosate, a synthetic herbicide originally patented in 1974 by the Monsanto Company, is known as the active ingredient in Roundup®-branded herbicides. According to watchdog group U.S. Right to Know, Monsanto reportedly removed glyphosate-based herbicides from the U.S. consumer market in 2023, but it is still widely used in commercial agriculture. In 2022, researchers at the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected glyphosate in the urine of 81% of Americans over six years of age.

“We believe that gluten-free manufacturers are challenged to find clean ingredients for their products because the U.S. government allows so many harmful agrochemicals to be used,” Honeycutt said in the report. Testing for the Moms Across America investigation was conducted by an accredited laboratory, Health Research Institute Laboratories. For the full glyphosate laboratory test results visit here.

About Edward & Sons
Offering a unique portfolio of plant-based, natural, sustainable and organic grocery brands since 1978, including Native Forest®, Edward & Sons, Let’s Do Organic® and more, Edward & Sons Trading Company, Inc. is known for its convenient and nourishing foods that support local economies and the environment. An independently owned business based in Carpinteria, California, Edward & Sons is committed to providing health-conscious consumers “Convenience Without Compromise®.” For more information,visit www.EdwardandSons.com and follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042

‘Where’s the Money?’ – Focus on the Farmer Educational Series to Cover Financial Assistance for Farmers Transitioning to Organic

BOULDER, Colo. (Sept. 15, 2023) – As part of USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), Compass Natural’s Focus on the Farmer educational series will offer a free webinar on Sept. 28 to support farmers transitioning to organic.

The webinar, the second in a series of four events hosted by Compass Natural in 2023, will gather top experts in organic agriculture, investment and finance to discuss investment, loan and funding opportunities for transitional and organic farmers, including government and grant programs to help cover the costs of transition and obtaining organic certification.

Webinar: WHERE’S THE MONEY? 
Date: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, 10:30 am-12 pm MDT   
Register: Register for free here. All registrants will receive a copy of the speaker presentations and a link to the Zoom video recording.

Panelists include:

Jayce Hafner, Co-Founder and CEO, FarmRaise
Co-founder and CEO of FarmRaise, Jayce Hafner grew up on a small livestock farm. She created FarmRaise to provide “farmer-friendly financial tools” and to help find funding and grants to support the transition to organic agriculture and more. Tracking tax and carbon credits, USDA grants and other programs, FarmRaise keeps farmers apprised of funding opportunities and helps them manage their business and finances.

Brandon Welch, Co-Founder and CEO, Mad Capital
Brandon Welch is co-founder and CEO of Mad Capital, providing customized loans and financing created for transitioning, organic and regenerative farmers. Replacing traditional loans and farm debt with capital that enables the transition to organic, Brandon is working to regenerate land at scale by providing long-term and tailor-fit credit to help farmers navigate the challenges of transitioning. He has experience in underwriting, credit, raising private funds, portfolio management and business building.

Emma Fuller, Co-Founder, Fractal Ag
Dr. Emma Fuller helped co-found Fractal Ag, which invests alongside farmers by taking passive, minority stakes in land that farmers already own. Farmers receive needed capital to invest in their operations, while investors access high-quality farmland that remains in the hands of the farmer. Farmers decide how to use the capital to best grow their business. Fractal discounts the cost of capital for farmers who have introduced regenerative practices, regardless of when they adopted them. Emma received her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton.

Claire Mesesan, Chief of Staff, Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT
Claire Mesesan is chief of staff at Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT, a public benefit corporation. Iroquois Valley provides land security to organic farmers through long-term leases, mortgages and operating lines of credit. Iroquois Valley supports the organic transition through its products, offering a discounted lease rate during the organic transition and interest-only mortgages for the first five years, and supports soil health and conservation projects through its in-house grant program.  

Mark Retzloff, former president of the Organic Trade Association and co-founder of Horizon Organic Dairy, Greenmont Capital Partners and Alfalfa’s Market, and Steven Hoffman, founder of Compass Natural and a former Peace Corps volunteer and USDA agriculture extension agent, will serve as co-moderators.

“Our ultimate goal is to support and educate farmers during their journey to organic certification,” says Steven Hoffman, founder of Compass Natural. ”Financing is inevitably a top concern and we are thrilled to have such seasoned leaders sharing information with farmers and producers to help them navigate the process.” 

About Compass Natural
Based in Boulder, Colo., Compass Natural is a communications agency serving the market for organic food and agriculture, as well as businesses and brands providing natural, socially responsible, eco-friendly and other healthy lifestyles products and services. Founded in 2001 and driven by a commitment to create a better world through business, Compass Natural is a leader in the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) market.

The “Focus on the Farmer” educational series is produced by Compass Natural in partnership with USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) in the Plains States region. TOPP is designed to foster organic agriculture and make much-needed technical assistance available to transitioning and existing organic farmers.

About TOPP
The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).

Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, 303.807.1042

Organic Farming Could Boost Carbon Sequestration by Double Digits, New Study Says

Photo: Pexels

This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2021 Industry Newsletter

By Steven Hoffman

In a meta-analysis of more than 4,000 studies, researchers found that organic farmers could increase the amount of carbon captured in the soil by double digits by adopting best organic farming practices. The study was published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment by researchers at the University of Maryland in collaboration with The Organic Center, a nonprofit research and education organization based in Washington, D.C. Examining different practices such as the use of organic soil amendments, conservation tillage and cover crops, the researchers found that best practices in organic soil amendments, such as compost and manure, had the biggest and fastest impact on carbon sequestration, by an average of 24%. “The study is the first of its kind – looking within organic management to not only highlight the areas where organic excels at locking greenhouse gas in the soil, but also identifying the areas that have the biggest beneficial impact, enabling organic growers to maximize their ability to fight climate change,” said Jessica Shade, Ph.D., Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center. The study identified four practices that are most critical to good soil health, including planting cover crops; applying combinations of organic inputs; increasing crop rotation diversity and length; and conservation tillage. The Organic Center highlighted the report’s main findings here.

Organic Acreage and Sales Continue to Grow Worldwide

Photo: FIBL

Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, March 2020
By Steven Hoffman

Based on data collected from 186 countries, 2018 was another record year for organic agriculture. Organic farmland increased worldwide in 2018 by 2.0 million hectares (4.9 million acres), according to the 21st annual survey, The World of Organic Agriculture, conducted by the Swiss-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in partnership with IFOAM Organics International and released in February 2020.

While this represents a modest increase of 2.9%, growth in global acreage has been steady for a number of years. Globally, 1.5% of all farmland is estimated to be organic. However, according to FiBL’s 2020 report, many countries have far higher shares of organic – in 16 countries, 10% or more of all agricultural land is reported to be organic.

Globally, a total of 71.5 million hectares (177 million acres) were organically managed in 2018. Australia recorded the largest organic agricultural area (35.7 million hectares, or 88.2 acres), followed by Argentina (3.6 million hectares or 8.9 acres) and China (3.1 million hectares or 7.7 million acres). North America, including Canada, Mexico and the U.S., reported 3.3 million hectares or 8.2 million acres of organic agricultural land in 2018.

Because of Australia, FiBL reports, half of all global organic agricultural land is in Oceania. Europe has the second largest area, followed by Latin America. Also, in 2018, 2.8 million organic producers were reported worldwide, with India continuing to be the country with the highest number of producers (1.15 million).

Market research firm Ecovia Intelligence, working with FiBL, estimates that the global market for organic food was more than $100 billion US. The U.S. leads the market with sales of $44 billion US in 2018, followed by Germany ($11.8 billion US) and France ($9.9 billion US).

According to the World of Organic Agriculture study, a number of major markets continued to post double-digit growth in 2018, and the organic market in France grew by more than 15%. Danish and Swiss consumers spent the most on organic food in 2018 (312 euros or $339 US per capita). Also, Denmark reported the highest market share, with organic sales capturing 11.5% of the country’s total food market.

In related news, market research firm Mercaris reports that U.S. farmers harvested nearly 3.3 million acres of certified organic field crops in 2019, beating previous estimates for every region of the country. Helping to offset a rainy growing season, the harvest was driven by 14% more organic field crop operations, reported New Hope Network. Among the report’s highlights: the U.S. organic hay and alfalfa harvest was up 8% in 2019, with 11% more certified organic farms; 13% more certified organic operations harvested corn in 2019, offsetting a decline in the number of acres harvested per operation; the U.S. certified organic soybean harvest increased 11% in 2019; and acres of harvested organic wheat grew 16% year over year as a result of expansion in the High Plains region, New Hope Network reports.

“Despite what can be fairly described as the most difficult growing season in more than a decade, 2019 was a remarkable year for organic production,” Ryan Koory, Director of Economics at Mercaris, told New Hope Network. “The addition of new organic growers suggests that 2020 could see organic production reach new record highs,” he added.

Clif Bar Invests in University of California’s First Organic Research Institute

Photo: Pexels

Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman

With a $1 million endowment from Clif Bar & Company and University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano, the university will establish the system’s first-ever institute for organic research and education. The California Organic Institute will accelerate the development and adoption of tools and practices for organic farmers and those transitioning to organic by building on the capabilities of the UC Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources’ (UC ANR) Cooperative Extension and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, the university said in a release. “California's organic farmers already benefit from UC ANR's pest management, irrigation and crop production research, and this partnership with Clif Bar will give UC more capacity to focus on challenges specific to organic farming,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice president of agriculture and natural resources in the release. “The California Organic Institute will serve many of the organic producers we depend on for ingredients like almonds and figs, as well as farmers outside our supply chain,” added Lynn Ineson, VP of Sustainable Sourcing for Clif Bar. “We recognize that the future of our food company depends on the ecological and economic success of organic and transitioning farmers.” According to UC ANR, California has the most organic farms in the U.S., with 3,000 certified organic farms in the state representing 21% of all certified organic acreage in the U.S.

Organic Trade Association to Host Webinar Series on Key Issues in Organic

Photo: Pexels

Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, September 2019
By Steven Hoffman

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) will host a series offered free to OTA members and for a registration fee of $149 each for non-members. The webinars, scheduled between now and the end of the year, will focus on a number of issues impacting the organic products market, including: Retail Intel: Best Labeling Practices for Organic Non-food Products; Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions; NOSB Meeting Wrap-up; and Legislative Watch: A Recap of 2019 Achievements. In addition, The Organic Center will host a webinar on September 25 that is open to all with no fee. The Organic Center webinar will focus on The Biodiversity Calculator: A Simple Tool for Tracking and Managing Biodiversity for NOP Compliance. For more information visit https://ota.com/programs-events/upcoming-webinars.

Appetite for Organic Tops $35 Billion

The organic products industry grew to be a $35-billion business in 2013, reported the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in May 2014. The reported 11.5% increase from 2012 is the fastest growth rate in the last five years. The OTA expects this growth will continue over the next two years. “Consumers are making the correlation between what we eat and our health, and that knowledge is spurring heightened consumer interest in organic products,” said Laura Batcha, executive director and CEO of OTA.

Organic products are comprised of foods, flowers, fiber, household products and pet food. Organic food sales, which accounts for about 92% of total organic sales, were $32.3 billion in 2013. Organic food sales broke the $30 billion mark in 2012 and, according to the OTA, now accounts for more than 4% of the $760 billion in annual food sales in the United States. While total foods sales have averaged an annual average growth of 3%, the growth rate of organic food sales has grown an average of 10% every year since 2010.

Although continued growth is expected in the sale of organic products, there is still confusion among consumers about what organic means. The message of organic can be lost next to the presence of “natural” products and the long debate around GMOs, cautioned the OTA.

“The entire organic industry needs to rally around helping consumers better understand and appreciate all the values that certified organic brings to the table,” said Batcha. “Consumer education is critical to grow the organic industry,” she added.

Organic agriculture as a solution to climate change

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Organic agriculture as a solution to climate change

Feb 03, 2016
[Photo credit: Timothy Swinson]

Photo credit: Timothy Swinson

We’ve all heard about the effects that climate change is having on our Earth: hotter temperatures, sea level rises that threaten to gobble up our coast lines, and more severe weather events including droughts and flooding. The consequences are dire, but what can we as individuals do to remedy the situation? Should we give up our cars or vow to never set foot on a plane again? Luckily, combating climate change can be as simple as supporting organic agriculture. Numerous studies have demonstrated how switching from conventional to organic farming methods can decrease the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage all while increasing our food security.

[Photo credit: Mikael Miettinen]

Photo credit: Mikael Miettinen

One of the primary ways in which humans contribute to global warming is by releasing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels such as gas or oil. For example, every time we drive our cars, we release CO2 into the atmosphere. As the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increases, so will the severity of climate change. One way to reduce atmospheric CO2 and combat global warming is by transferring the carbon from the atmosphere onto the Earth’s surface. Soil contains more carbon than all of the air and forests in the world, and it also happens to be one of the easiest places to deposit carbon from greenhouse gasses.

[Photo Credit: Dwight Sipler]

Photo Credit: Dwight Sipler

According to a study published in the journalScience, we could remove up to 78 Gt (78,000,000,000 tons) of carbon from the atmosphere simply by rejuvenating soils that have been depleted of carbon by conventional farming methods. That’s enough to offset up to 15% of the entire world’s fossil fuel emissions. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences, determined that organic farming is an effective way to simultaneously restore carbon to our soils and reduce carbon in the atmosphere. Furthermore, a 30-year study comparing organic and conventional farming methods conducted by the Rodale Institute found that soils farmed using organic methods were healthier and continued to experience an increase in carbon-based organic matter over time. On the other hand, soils farmed using conventional methods saw reductions in soil carbon and nutrients.

[Photo credit: Chafer 33]

Photo credit: Chafer 33

Organic agriculture also leaves a much smaller environmental footprint than conventional agriculture. Research published in Current Agriculture Research Journal and by the Rodale Institute found that organic farming methods release significantly fewer greenhouse gasses and use less energy than conventional farming methods. Conventional farming relies heavily on the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. The synthesis, transport and application of these chemicals are very energy intensive. The Farm System Trials by the Rodale Institute found a 45% increase in energy use with conventional farming methods when compared to organic methods. Greenhouse gas emissions were 40% lower in organic farm systems than in conventional farming systems due to a combination of reduced need for fossil fuels and lower N2O emissions.

Have you ever noticed that during some years, produce is more expensive than it is in other years? Oftentimes this is because bad weather has destroyed crops, leading to a lower yield and forcing farmers to charge you more to make up for their losses. Climate change is ushering in a new era of climate extremes including severe droughts and heavy rains. According to the United States Global Change Research Project,farmers are already experiencing a decline in agricultural yields due to extreme weather events.

[Photo credit: Max Wolfe]

Photo credit: Max Wolfe

In a study comparing organic and conventional systems researchers found that organic farmlands performed better during droughts by capturing and storing water more efficiently than conventional farms. These same fields also outperformed the conventionally farmed fields during heavy rainstorms because they experienced less runoff and erosion. In a world where a more volatile climate is becoming the norm, organic agriculture is more resilient, ensuring greater food security than conventional agriculture. As Steve Hoffman from Compass Natural and Regeneration International says in his blogOrganic, Regenerative Agriculture a Low-Cost Solution to Climate Change,“It seems like a powerful solution to climate change lies literally right under our feet.”

To find out more about how organic agriculture can provide a solution to climate change, check out the panel discussion “Organic & Carbon: The Climate Change Connection”—which includes The Organic Center’s Science Advisory Board Member Dr. Kathleen Delate—at Natural Products Expo West this March.

Session Details

Date: Thursday, March 10, 2016

Time: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Location: Anaheim Marriott, Grand Ballroom F

Track: Cultivating Organic

Title: Organic & Carbon: The Climate Change Connection

Confirmed Speakers: John Roulac (Nutiva), Tom Newmark, Kathleen Delate, Logan Peterman

The Heroes: Companies Supporting GMO Labeling

Source: Pexels

In Colorado, while multi-billion-dollar, multinational corporate opponents have pumped nearly $17 million into the state to try to defeat Prop. 105, the 2014 ballot initiative to label GMO foods, the grassroots Yes on 105 side has raised just under $1 million in campaign funding. The Yes on 105 campaign is using these funds - contributed by hundreds of Colorado residents, and a small group of leading natural and organic products companies and consumer advocacy groups - tohelp educate voters and get out the yes vote via newspaper and digital advertising, an extensive volunteer network, phone banking, and social media - and to endure a withering onslaught of negative, deceptive television advertising and direct mail from the No on 105 side.

Put these brands contributing to consumer transparency and truth in labeling on your shopping list. Support the brands that have stepped up to contribute to Colorado's grassroots Prop. 105 Ballot Initiative to Label GMO Foods against a $17 million onslaught by Monsanto, Pepsi, Coke, Kraft, Dow, Dupont, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, Mead Johnson, Abbot Nutrition, Conagra and others.

Compass Natural Marketing and its principal Steven Hoffman have served as the lead fundraiser and industry communications specialists on behalf of Yes on 105, Right to Know Colorado - GMO. For more information, visit www.righttoknowcolorado.org.

The Heroes:  Support these Companies that Contributed to Yes on 105 to Label GMO Foods in Colorado*

More than $200,000 Food Democracy Now! Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence

$50,000 - $100,000 Annie's Inc. Organic Consumers Fund

$10,000 - $50,000 Boulder Brands Lundberg Family Farms Dr. Bronner's Applegate Farms Clif Bar Nature's Path UNFI Hain Celestial Group Alliance for Sustainable Colorado

$5,000 - $10,000 Amy's Kichen Frontier Natural Products Co-op KeHE Distributors Nutiva Stonyfield Farm

$500 - $5,000 Daiya Foods Food & Water Watch Justin's .Organic Lucky's Market Door to Door Organics Suja Food Babe Living Maxwell New Belgium Brewery Snack Out Loud Red Idea Group Front & Center Marketing Vital Farms Good Earth Natural Grocery Lucky's Market

Special Thanks Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Whole Foods Market Chipotle Mexican Grill

Acknowledgments Alex and Ana Bogusky Steve and Grace Hughes Organic & Non-GMO Report The Crunchy Grocer Alfalfa's Market Compass Natural Marketing Journeys for Conscious Living Durango Natural Foods Co-op Jared Polis John Foraker Joshua Kunau and Jeremy Siefert, GMO OMG Robyn O'Brien Quinn Popcorn Silver Hills Bakery The Organic Dish Meetings and Events Sandy Gooch and Harry Lederman

Visit our Donors Here:  http://www.righttoknowcolorado.org/donors Visit our Endorsers Here:  http://www.righttoknowcolorado.org/endorsements

Join a growing number of supporters of GMO labeling. To contribute to Right to Know Colorado to Label GMOs, visit www.righttoknowcolorado.org to make an online donation. For corporate or individual contributions, contact Steven Hoffman at steve (at) compassnatural.com.

Please help us win in Colorado, for all Americans.

* Sources: Right to Know Colorado, www.righttoknowcolorado.org Colorado Secretary of State Elections Division, reporting as of Oct. 27, 2014, http://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/CommitteeDetail.aspx?OrgID=25377

Historic Mainstream Cereal Brands Make Non-GMO News

Food giants General Mills and Post Foods both announced in the same month that their flagship Original Cheerios and Original Grape Nuts cereals will now say “Non-GMO” on the label, however, consumer watchdog groups fear that voluntary non-GMO claims may be meant to pre-empt any prospective state and federal mandatory GMO labeling efforts.

After contributing millions of dollars in campaign funding in 2012 and 2013 to oppose GMO labeling bills in California and Washington state, mainstream food manufacturer General Mills announced in early January 2014 that it has reformulated its flagship Original Cheerios cereal to remove GMOs from the product. The company said it had spent the past year sourcing non-GMO ingredients and changing some manufacturing practices, and beginning this month, Original Cheerios will now bear a non-GMO claim on the package.

General Mill’s non-GMO claim has not been verified by any third party agency, and the Original variety is the only Cheerios flavor to make the non-GMO claim. To respond to consumer questions, the company posted a non-GMO FAQ web page here.

Taking it one step further, cereal maker Post Foods announced just days later that its Original Grape Nuts variety is now Non-GMO Project Verified and U.S. consumers will see the familiar blue butterfly non-GMO seal on the front of the package in supermarkets across the country. Both Post and General Mills are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a mainstream food industry lobby group that has opposed mandatory GMO labeling measures.

Proponents of GMO transparency lauded the news, including the nonprofit GMO Inside, a project of Green America, which has targeted Cheerios for not disclosing its GMO ingredients in widespread social media campaigns. Given the historic stature of the brands - Grape Nuts was first introduced in 1897 by mainstream food pioneer C.W. Post, and General Mills first launched Cheerios in 1941 - plus their dominant position in the cereal aisle, the moves were heralded as a major step forward in GMO labeling and in exposing a far greater number of consumers to the issue of GMOs in food and agriculture.

GMO Inside continues to press General Mills; its current campaign calls for removing GMO ingredients from Honey Nut Cheerios, and for General Mills to engage a third-party verification service such as Non-GMO Project to ensure the authenticity of the company's non-GMO claims.

A Toe in the Non-GMO Water Granted, the main ingredients in Original Cheerios and Original Grape Nuts - oats and wheat, respectively - are essentially non-GMO, making the products relatively easy to reformulate. Yet, in sourcing non-GMO corn starch, non-GMO sweetener from sugar cane instead of GMO sugar beets, and other non-GMO ingredients, and investing in segregating production, these mainstream cereal giants for the first time are responding to clamoring consumer demand for GMO labeling and transparency. While the Original flavors of Cheerios and Grape Nuts are the only non-GMO offerings, Post said it is pursuing other potential non-GMO products.

It is a testament to the efforts of sustainable food and farming organizations, consumer advocacy groups, natural and organic industry supporters, and grass-roots campaigns behind mandatory GMO labeling bills in states and federal government over the past few years that prompted these mainstream food corporations to finally acknowledge GMO transparency by announcing their non-GMO product claims.

Too Good to be True? Industry watchdogs, however, warn that the claims made by General Mills and Post are strictly voluntary non-GMO claims only, while consumers remain largely unaware that the majority of conventionally processed foods contain GMOs without requiring any disclosure on the label. While non-GMO claims are laudable, proponents of GMO labeling transparency wonder if this may be part of a roundabout move by the mainstream grocery lobby to pre-empt mandatory state and federal GMO labeling measures in favor of being able to make voluntary non-GMO claims, or abide by voluntary or watered-down GMO labeling standards that will likely be full of exemptions and loopholes.

Food Safety News reported in early January that GMA lobbied Congress and federal regulators to allow foods containing GMOs to be called "natural." Also, in an internal letter outlining GMO talking points intended for food industry lobbyists, GMA warned that, "The first state to implement a GMO labeling law will be sued on the constitutional grounds seen in IDFA v. Amestoy. Litigation in this area could be long, costly and will probably be decided by the Supreme Court," the letter stated. However, GMA's claims that state GMO labeling efforts are unconstitutional are baseless, according to legal experts and reported by Organic Consumers Association on January 23.

"If we’re to follow Cheerios and Grape Nuts down the rabbit hole, then states and federal GMO labeling laws will never happen," notes journalist Jill Ettinger in EatDrinkBetter.com. "Instead of mandatory labeling, with defined parameters, we’ll end up with a sugar-coated self-regulated system that’s about as healthy for you as the average breakfast cereal. In the long run, we’re much better off with tangible labeling laws instead of voluntary proclamations," she wrote.

One bright spot is that “now that Original Cheerios has gone non-GMO, it has proven one thing we've known all along and that is that GMO labeling doesn't cost the consumer any more money," said David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's and a longtime GMO labeling advocate. Bronner noted at a recent GMO labeling meeting in Portland, OR, that prices have not gone up for non-GMO Cheerios or Grape Nuts, despite repeated claims by GMO labeling opponents that mandatory labeling requirements would increase food prices for consumers.

This post originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of Presence News, a leading industry newsletter published by Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence, the nation's largest independent natural and organic products brokerage.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural LLC, a full-service marketing, branding, public relations and business development agency serving natural, organic and sustainable products businesses. As a GMO labeling proponent, he served on the finance committees of California’s Prop 37 and Washington State’s I-522 voter campaigns to label GMO foods. Hoffman is former Editorial Director of New Hope Natural Media and former Program Director of Natural Products Expo. A co-founder of the annual LOHAS Conference for the $300-billion “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability” market, and former Director of The Organic Center, Hoffman also served as Rocky Mountain Sales Manager and National Marketing Director for Arrowhead Mills, now a leading organic division of the Hain-Celestial Group. Contact steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042.