Consumers today face a new challenge. Not only do they need to know which foods and health aids make up a healthy diet, they need to know how to get non GMO vitamins and supplements. Mainstream American farmers and food producers have enthusiastically embraced genetic modification. It's harder than ever to get truly natural, untainted foods and nutritional products. The only way to do it is to grow your own or find producers whose integrity you can rely on.
Efforts to include GMOs in certified organic or all-natural foods and products have so far been unsuccessful. Actually, there are no binding guidelines for 'natural' products. The food industry has spent millions in an attempt to keep from having to put any information about genetic engineering on labels. It's presently up to the consumer to find out if the products they take are free of this kind of tampering with nature.
It's also important to ask manufacturers directly about quality control policies. Few supplement producers make their own ingredients. Most buy raw materials and then compound their products; some merely buy already finished products and re-label them. The third-party 'organic' certification will mean that all ingredients are 'clean'. However, it's still the integrity of the producer that really matters. Remember, too, that an 'all-natural' claim may be virtually meaningless, since this term has not been legally defined.
The best way to proceed is to know the manufacturer. There are some well-known names in the industry that people trust to be true to the ideals of providing carefully-manufactured, 'clean' products that are as natural as possible. After all, you won't find vitamin C in 1,000 milligram concentration in an orange or a rose hip. Some processing is necessary to concentrate nutrients and deliver them in usable form.
Even knowing reputable manufacturers does not mean that you can lower your guard. Many companies that set the standard for the industry in the early days of supplements have been sold. The name might be the same, but the standards are now controlled by the new owners (subject to any agreement made when the sale was finalized). When a company is sold, consumers need to make new assessments.
Many products will have a non-GMO seal on the package. This means that no active ingredient, filler, flavoring, coloring, or capsule should be made of genetically engineered matter. Purists in the health food community hope that growing customer awareness will force even mainstream producers to avoid using modified substances.
One problem is that the research has not been definitive on the subject. Although GMOs are relatively new, they've been included in foods before their safety has really been established. The fact that they may not be quick-acting poisons or instant health hazards does not mean that there are no consequences for the young, the infirm, the elderly, or for future generations. There are studies that show developmental problems in lab rats fed GMO grains, for instance.
Claims of safety may be premature. GMOs have not been around long enough to really know their effects. To be sure of getting the health benefits you need, choose health aids without genetically engineered ingredients.
Efforts to include GMOs in certified organic or all-natural foods and products have so far been unsuccessful. Actually, there are no binding guidelines for 'natural' products. The food industry has spent millions in an attempt to keep from having to put any information about genetic engineering on labels. It's presently up to the consumer to find out if the products they take are free of this kind of tampering with nature.
It's also important to ask manufacturers directly about quality control policies. Few supplement producers make their own ingredients. Most buy raw materials and then compound their products; some merely buy already finished products and re-label them. The third-party 'organic' certification will mean that all ingredients are 'clean'. However, it's still the integrity of the producer that really matters. Remember, too, that an 'all-natural' claim may be virtually meaningless, since this term has not been legally defined.
The best way to proceed is to know the manufacturer. There are some well-known names in the industry that people trust to be true to the ideals of providing carefully-manufactured, 'clean' products that are as natural as possible. After all, you won't find vitamin C in 1,000 milligram concentration in an orange or a rose hip. Some processing is necessary to concentrate nutrients and deliver them in usable form.
Even knowing reputable manufacturers does not mean that you can lower your guard. Many companies that set the standard for the industry in the early days of supplements have been sold. The name might be the same, but the standards are now controlled by the new owners (subject to any agreement made when the sale was finalized). When a company is sold, consumers need to make new assessments.
Many products will have a non-GMO seal on the package. This means that no active ingredient, filler, flavoring, coloring, or capsule should be made of genetically engineered matter. Purists in the health food community hope that growing customer awareness will force even mainstream producers to avoid using modified substances.
One problem is that the research has not been definitive on the subject. Although GMOs are relatively new, they've been included in foods before their safety has really been established. The fact that they may not be quick-acting poisons or instant health hazards does not mean that there are no consequences for the young, the infirm, the elderly, or for future generations. There are studies that show developmental problems in lab rats fed GMO grains, for instance.
Claims of safety may be premature. GMOs have not been around long enough to really know their effects. To be sure of getting the health benefits you need, choose health aids without genetically engineered ingredients.
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