Heirloom, Hybrid and GMO seeds explained

How to eliminate GMO's from your diet recap

World GMO production (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

GMO's have been all over the news of late. From President Obama signing the "Monsanto Protection Act" to the cross licensing agreement reached between Monsanto and Bayer, it seems Monsanto is invading our lives and diets. Why all the stink over Monsanto and GMO's? Well, that is a good question and one best saved for another forum. My goal with this series of articles is to inform you, my good readers, how to avoid adding genetically modified foods in your diet.

There has been a lot of talk about how bad genetically modified foods are and how little research has been done to look into the effects of these items on our health. What little that is known is not good news for consumers. GMO's are full of potential carcinogenic compounds (compounds that cause cancer), allergens and toxins, among other things. Some scientists believe that the dramatic upswing in food allergies is due to the flooding of our diets with these genetically altered foods. Until more testing has been completed, a lot of people are choosing to avoid GMO's altogether, but that is difficult seeing as how food manufacturers are not required to tell us when their foods contain them. In an effort to help educate you all, I have put together a series of articles to help show you how to avoid GMO's if you choose to do so.

• What foods to avoid
• How to choose produce
• How to choose meat and dairy
• Growing your own produce part 1 choosing safe seeds
• Growing your own produce part 2 which companies to avoid

How to eliminate GMO's from your diet: Growing your own produce part 2 which companies to avoid

(Photo credit: Campobello Island)

Monsanto is the leader when it comes to genetically modifying foods. They are currently in charge approximately 40% of the United States' seed supply. Steering clear of the seeds they own is one way to ensure you are growing organic produce, but it also chips slowly away at their bottom line. Before I go any further with this post, please note that I do not claim that the following products have been genetically modified, but the potential is there. If you want to ensure that you are not supporting Monsanto with your money, avoid purchasing seeds from the following companies:

• Anderson's Seed and Garden, Inc
• Ball Horticultural Company
• Brett Johnson
• Bunton Seed
• Corona Seeds
• David Phillips
• DeBruyn Seed Company, Inc.
• Earl May Seed and Nursery
• L.C. Early's Farm  and Garden Centre
• Farmer Seed and Nursery
• Fukuda Seed Store
• Garden Trends, Inc.d/b/a Harris Seeds
• Germania Seed Company
• Grimes Horticulture
• H.F. Michell Company
• Meyer Seed Co of Baltimore, Inc
• Mountain Valley Seed Inc.
• Ontario Seed
• Ornamental Edibles
• Otis S. Twilley Seed Co., Inc.
• P. L. Rohrer and Bro., Inc.
• Paul Skalitzky
• Southern States Cooperative, Incorporated T and T Seeds, LTD.
• The Page Seed Company
• Tomato Growers Supply Company
• Vis Seed Company, Inc.

Monsanto has also purchased the trademark names to the following fruit and vegetable varieties:

• Beans: Aliconte, Brio, Bronco, Cadillac, Ebro, Etna, Eureka, Festina, Gina, Goldmine, Goldenchild, Labrador, Lynx, Magnum, Matador, Spartacus, Storm, Strike, Stringless Blue Lake 7, Tapia, Tema
• Broccoli: Coronado Crown, Major, Packman Cabbage: Atlantis, Golden Acre, Headstart, Platinum Dynasty, Red Dynasty Carrot: Bilbo, Envy, Forto, Juliana, Karina, Koroda PS, Royal Chantenay, Sweetness III 
• Cauliflower: Cheddar, Minuteman 
• Cucumber: Babylon, Cool Breeze Imp., Dasher II, Emporator, Eureka, Fanfare HG, Marketmore 76, Mathilde, Moctezuma, Orient Express II, Peal, Poinsett 76, Salad Bush, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success PS, Talladega 
• Eggplant: Black Beauty, Fairytale, Gretel, Hansel, Lavender Touch, Twinkle, White Lightening
• Hot Pepper: Anaheim TMR 23, Ancho Saint Martin, Big Bomb, Big Chile brand of Sahuaro, Caribbean Red, Cayenne Large Red Thick, Chichen Itza, Chichimeca, Corcel, Garden Salsa SG, Habanero, Holy Mole brand of Salvatierro, Hungarian Yellow Wax Hot, Ixtapa X3R, Lapid, Mariachi brand of Rio de Oro, Mesilla, Milta, Mucho Nacho brand of Grande, Nainari, Serrano del Sol brand of Tuxtlas, Super Chile, Tam Vera Cruz Lettuce: Braveheart, Conquistador 
• Melon: Early Dew, Sante Fe, Saturno Onion: Candy, Cannonball, Century, Red Zeppelin, Savannah Sweet, Sierra Blanca, Sterling, Vision 
• Pumpkin: Applachian, Harvest Moon, Jamboree HG, Orange Smoothie, Phantom, Prize Winner, Rumbo, Snackface, Spirit, Spooktacular, Trickster 
• Spinach: Hellcat 
• Squash: Ambassador, Canesi, Clarita, Commander, Dixie, Early Butternut, Gold Rush, Grey Zucchini, Greyzini, Lolita, Papaya Pear, Peter Pan, Portofino, President, Richgreen Hybrid Zucchini, Storr’s Green, Sungreen, Sunny Delight, Taybelle PM Sweet Corn: Devotion, Fantasia, Merit, Obession, Passion, Temptation 
• Sweet Pepper: Baron, Bell Boy, Big Bertha PS, Biscayne, Blushing Beauty, Bounty, California Wonder 300, Camelot, Capistrano, Cherry Pick, Chocolate Beauty, Corno Verde, Cubanelle W, Dumpling brand of Pritavit, Early Sunsation, Flexum, Fooled You brand of Dulce, Giant Marconi, Gypsy, Jumper, Key West, King Arthur, North Star, Orange Blaze, Pimiento Elite, Red Knight, Satsuma, Socrates, Super Heavyweight, Sweet Spot 
• Tomato: Amsterdam, Beefmaster, Betterboy, Big Beef, Burpee’s Big Boy, Caramba, Celebrity, Cupid, Early Girl, Granny Smith, Health Kick, Husky Cherry Red, Jetsetter brand of Jack, Lemon Boy, Margharita, Margo, Marmande VF PS, Marmara, Patio, Phoenix, Poseidon 43, Roma VF, Royesta, Sun Sugar, Super Marzano, Sweet Baby Girl, Tiffany, Tye-Dye, Viva Italia, Yaqui
• Watermelon: Apollo, Charleston Grey, Crimson Glory, Crimson Sweet, Eureka, Jade Star, Mickylee, Olympia

How to eliminate GMO's from your diet: Growing your own produce part 1 choosing safe seeds

One of the simplest ways to eliminate GMO's from your diet is to grow your own fruits and vegetables whenever possible. However, even this undertaking comes with a lesson of things to look for and avoid. Monsanto now controls 40% of the American seed industry and 20% of the world's. Avoiding them may seem daunting, but it is doable. The companies listed and linked below have all taken the Safe Seed Pledge. You can order from them and feel confident you will now be growing genetically modified produce for your family.


The Safe Seed Pledge
Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.


Adaptive Seeds 
All Good Things Organic
Amishland Seeds 
Annie’s Heirloom Seeds 
Aravaipa Heirlooms
The Ark Institute 
Backyard Beans and Grains Project 
Backyard Heirloom Seeds & Herbs
Baker Creek Seed Co. 
Beauty Beyond Belief 
Botanical Interests 
Bountiful Gardens 
Cloudview Ecofarm
Crispy Farms 
Diane’s Flower Seeds
Direct Garden Seeds
Ed Hume Seeds 
Family Farmer’s Seed Co-op 
Farm Direct Seed 
Fedco Seed Co. 
Filaree Garlic Farm
Garden Medicinals and Culinaries
Gourmet Seed 
Grow Organic 
Heirloom Seeds 
Heirloom Solutions
High Mowing Seeds 
Horizon Herbs 
Hudson Valley Seed Library 
J.L Hudson 
Kitchen Garden Seeds 
Knapp’s Fresh Veggies 
Kusa Seed Society 
Lake Valley Seeds 
Landreth Seeds 
Larner Seeds 
The Living Seed Company 
Livingston Seeds 
Local Harvest 
Moonlight Micro Farm 
Mountain Rose Herbs 
My Patriot Supply 
Native Seeds for the Arid Southwest
Natural Gardening Company
New Hope Seed Company
Nichol’s Garden Nursery
Organica Seed
Organic Sanctuary
Osborne Seed Company LLC
Peace Seeds
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Prairie Road
Renee’s Garden 
Restoration Seeds
Sand Hill Preservation Center
Sage Thymes
Seed for Security
Seeds Trust
Select Seeds
Siskiyou Seeds
Southern Exposure
Sow True
St. Claire Heirloom Seed
Sustainable Seed Co
Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants
Tomato Fest
Trees of Antiquity
Turtle Tree Seed
Underwood Garden Seeds
Uprising Seeds
Victory Seeds
Vermont Wildflower Farm
White Harvest Seed
Wild Garden Seeds
Wildseed Farms
Wood Prairie Farm

Part 2 of this article will include a list of seed companies and heirloom varieties owned by Monsanto.

How to eliminate GMO's from your diet: How to choose meat and dairy

 Wikipedia

Choosing meat and dairy products that do not contain genetically modified foods is nearly as easy as selecting organic produce. The organic label, as it pertains to animal products, ensures that food animals are allowed to graze or roam free, be fed an organically certified diet, not treated with drugs or hormones (there are a few rare exceptions) and in general treated humanely.

When selecting meats from grazing animals such as cows and lambs, look for the following statements on the package:

• 100% grass fed
• 100% pasture fed
• Grass finished
• Pasture finished

These labels ensure that the animals were allowed to forage on their own and enjoy a diet of grass and other similar vegetation. Some packages of meat may say "grass fed", which causes much confusion among consumers, leading them to believe their meat was fed an exclusively  a grass based diet. Most cattle are allowed to openly graze for the majority of their lives but are then switched to a corn based diet between 90 and 160 days before slaughter. Looking for the terms "grass finished" or "pasture finished" will give you peace of mind that the animals were allowed to graze for their entire lifetime.

When choosing pork and poultry products, look for labels that read "100% organic". These animals cannot rely exclusively on a grass based diet and must be fed grain. By choosing 100% organic meats, you will know that the grains were organically grown. The same holds true when buying eggs.

You may be wondering why the term "free range" has not been addressed when choosing GMO free meat. The reason for this is simple-the free range claim is mostly unregulated and means that a animal has access to the outdoors. There is not set length of time required before the claim can be made-it may be as short as one day or be the animal's entire life. Free range also does not regulate the types of food the animals are fed or the use of hormones and anti-biotics.

When choosing dairy products, you will also want to look for the "100% organic" label. Labels that simply read "organic" mean that up to 30% of the product may be genetically modified. The labels "non-GMO" or "GMO free" may also be used.

How to eliminate GMO's from your diet: How to choose produce

Sometimes it may seem tricky trying to figure out which produce at the grocery is organic is which has been

genetically modified. The process is actually quite simple. If organic, and thus not modified, packaged produce will bear a label stating that it is "organic" or "100% organic". For items that you select and bag yourself, the produce will bear a small sticker that contains either a 4 or 5 digit PLU code. Here are what the codes mean:

• a 4 digit code means your produce was grown using conventional methods. These foods are not genetically modified but they are grown using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
• a 5 digit code beginning with the number 8 means your produce has been genetically modified.
• a 5 digit code beginning with the number 9 means your produce has been organically grown and is free from chemical and modifications.

If you purchase your fruits and veggies from a farmers' market, fruit stand or co-op, the produce will most likely not be labelled. Be sure to ask the people selling the produce how it was grown. If they can't give you a reassuring and convincing answer, you should move on.