Organic Vs. Non GMO

By now you know that I’m an advocate for organic eating. Trust me I understand economics (well enough anyway) to know that it’s not always the “affordable” option. But I do feel strongly that it is an important issue. I say with every recipe “as organic as possible,” because I believe every bit matters. We don’t even know what we are doing to ourselves (as in mankind) with all of the crazy things we are putting into our food and therefore into our bodies. Information is knowledge… (as long as it is truthful and accurate.)

Ok, enough from me. I came across this article from a food blogger making great strides in the world. Most recently she was a part of the movement to get Starbucks to take the harmful artificial coloring out of the pumpkin spice latte (it wasn’t adding flavor). And a catalyst in getting Subway to list their ingredients and remove the dangerous chemical azodicarbonamide from their bread. Bravo! (BTW that chemical is used for making yoga mats and shoe rubber, is not supposed to be eaten, and was only in bread served in North America, not Australia, EU or the UK. Thank you FDA.)

There’s a lot of confusion and debate about what non-GMO and organic labels really mean.
The labels are very different! It’s crucial to understand the difference if you want to pick out the healthiest and safest food for you and your family. Every time we decide to buy a product, we are supporting so much more than our bodies. We are shaping the landscape of the entire food system – everything from the environment, land, air, water to the farmers themselves. And this is why I want you to know the truth about the “Non-GMO” label and what it really means.

What exactly does the “Non-GMO Project” label mean?
The “Non-GMO Project” label only verifies that a product doesn’t contain genetically modified (GMO) ingredients (or technically less than 0.9% GMOs). While that is good, it’s not the whole story about what the product contains, how it was produced, and where it came from.

But when I have a choice, I always choose organic food because of these reasons…

10 reasons why “Organic” beats “Non-GMO” every time:

1. Certified organic foods are also non-GMO.

2. Organic crops cannot be grown with synthetic pesticides, and contain much lower pesticide residues overall.

3. The most widely-used herbicide on the planet – Glyphosate (Roundup) – is prohibited on organic crops.

4. Organic ingredients aren’t processed with toxic hexane.

5. Organic crops are prohibited from being fertilized with sewage sludge.

6. Organic meat isn’t produced with growth-promoting drugs, like ractopamine.

7. Organic animals aren’t fattened up with growth-promoting antibiotics.

8. The non-GMO label claim is unregulated.

9. Organic foods prohibit many of the chemicals known as “obesogens” that trigger our bodies to store fat.

10. By choosing organic food you’ll automatically avoid most of the “Sickening 15” … Chemicals like synthetic preservatives, synthetic pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics are not used in organic food…

For the original article and more information check out foodbabe.com

Also this Sadie’s Nest post was updated and amended from the original as Subway has removed azodicarbonamide from their bread! Hurray! Next maybe they will offer organic options?

15 comments

    1. I agree! It’s so important. I know it’s difficult when on a budget to choose organic, but the toll it’s taking on our health and environment too costly!

      1. Very well said! Since we’ve been eating organic, we all feel so much better, and I know we are most definitely healthier! Now when I taste processed food, for example at a restaurant, I immediately notice the distinct difference in flavor/quality and how I feel after I’ve eaten.

  3. Wow, I must say I agree! The more information I gather about eating organic, the more important I feel it is-especially for my growing children. Of course, I thank God when we are able to afford more organic groceries, but it’s hard for a lot of people in these economic times. I went to the grocery store the other day and 1 pound of organic ground beef was 9.99! You pay about 300% more just to eat food that is safe.
    It’s really sad, and to me the biggest issue is with the businesses, companies, and farmers that put these harmful products in our food just to make more money! So what, the FDA says it’s okay to use them…don’t they have ethics within their company?Would they feed these things to their own children?? I hope organic food becomes the normal standard, and healthy options become affordable for everyone! Great post Sadie, hopefully we can get more businesses to stop their unhealthy practices!

    1. It’s so true. I don’t know why it has to be so expensive. I understand “you pay for quality,” and “you get what you pay for,” but 300%! And I do wonder if some mass producers eat their ‘Round Up’ modified soy? Or even live around the fields it’s produced in? And thankfully there are people bringing it to awareness! How oblivious was I for so long! And I realize that these factors are not the only contributors, but when they are directly related to causing cancer and strongly linked to Altzheimers disease how can they be allowed to continue? We are paying the price, with our lives and the quality thereof… We’re like guinea pigs in the largest experiment!

      1. Well said, now that they have been proven to cause cancer, etc they should be removed. I feel like you’ve actually been ahead of the curve-not oblivious at all! Thanks for sharing the information you find;)

      2. Thanks Annie, you’re so sweet! I’ve been eating organic in home for about 15 years. I started with dairy, then vegetables, spices and meats. But this stuff has been going on for so long! And New information is being revealed to me all the time. For example, all natural vanilla flavor does not have to be vanilla at all. In fact when it’s vague like that it is most likely Castoreum, from the anal gland of a beaver! I know I’m being redundant but it’s so worth sharing. And when I was researching that fact over the summer I came across another article that talked about that as well as how often they will use human hair in bread dough as a conditioner! (L-cysteine) how disgusting is that! And they can still call it “all natural.” So I still feel that non-GMO food is better then GMO food, but articles like this remind me of why I choose to eat organic as much as possible.

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