Major Agribusinesses Competing with Organics on the Cheap, ?Natural? Food Products with Toxic Chemicals and GMOs Deceiving Consumers - News - Press Releases

CORNUCOPIA,WIS:ArevelatoryreportreleasedbyTheCornucopiaInstitute,anorganicindustrywatchdog,hasstirredcontroversyinthenaturalfoodsmarketingarenabyhighlightingabusivemarketingpracticesbysomeofthenation'slargestbreakfastcerealmanufacturers.Insomecases,companiessuchasKellogg's,QuakerOats(PepsiCo),Barbara'sBakeryandWholeFoodsMarketaresellingproductscontaminatedwithtoxicagrichemicalsandMonsanto'sgeneticallyengineeredorganismswhilepromotingthemas"natural."

Thenewreport,CerealCrimes:How"Natural"ClaimsDeceiveConsumersandUnderminetheOrganicLabel--ALookDowntheCerealandGranolaAisle(availableontheCornucopiawebsite)exploresthisgrowingtrendofmarketingconventionalfoodsas"natural"tolurehealth-consciousandeco-consciousconsumersandtheirshoppingdollars.

Unliketheorganiclabel,nogovernmentagency,certificationgroup,orotherindependententitydefinestheterm"natural"onprocessedfoodpackagesorensuresthattheclaimhasmerit.

Incontrast,breakfastcerealsdisplayingtheUSDA's"certifiedorganic"labelareproducedunderastrictsetofverifiedstandardsprohibitingtheuseofpetrochemical-basedfertilizers,sewagesludge,synthetictoxicpesticides,geneticallymodifiedcrops,andothermanycommonconventionalagriculturalandmanufacturinginputs.

CerealCrimesdetailshowprominentagribusinessesareincreasinglyusingvariousstrategiestocreatetheillusionofequivalencebetweenthe"natural"andorganiclabelstomisleadconsumers.

"Somecompaniesthatstartedoutorganic,andbuiltbrandloyaltyasorganicbrands,haveswitchedtonon-organicingredientsand"natural"labeling,"saidCharlotteVallaeys,DirectorofFarmandFoodPolicyatCornucopia.

Onesuchbrand,PeaceCerealisanexampleofwhatCornucopiacalls"bait-and-switch."In2008,thePeaceCerealbrandswitchedfromorganictocheaperconventionalingredients,withoutloweringitsprices.Today,thecerealissoldinnaturalfoodstoresandmainstreamgrocersatpricesabovemanyoftheircertifiedorganiccompetitorsthatareusingmoreexpensiveorganicingredients.

Althoughthepricesmaybesimilar,inreality,thereisavastdifferencebetweenorganicand"natural"productsfromgrainproducedwiththeuseoftoxicpesticides.Insomecases,companieschargehighpricesfor"natural"productsthatevencontaingeneticallyengineeredcropsdevelopedbySt.Louis-basedMonsanto.

Pesticidesthatarestrictlyprohibitedinorganicsarecommonlyusedtoproduceingredientsfor"natural"products.Forexample,organophosphatepesticidesweredevelopedfromWorldWarII-eranervegasandaredesignedtobetoxictotheneurologicalsystemsoftargetorganisms.Theyaredeadlytoinsectsbutalsohavebeenprovendamagingtohumans--withfetusesandchildrenespeciallyatrisk.

Severalrecentstudieshavelinkedorganophosphatepesticideexposuretoawiderangeofdevelopmentaldisordersinchildren,includingbehavioralproblems,poorershort-termmemoryandmotorskills,andAttentionDeficitHyperactivityDisorder(ADHD)..,,,Whilefederallawprohibitsorganicfarmersfromusingthesetoxicpesticides,nosuchrestrictionexistsfor"natural"products.

"Thisisexactlywhyparentsareseekingouttrulynatural(organic)productsfortheirchildrenandaredeceivedbycorporateagribusinessesandtheirMadisonAvenueagencies,"saidVallaeys.

USDAtestinghasfoundresiduesoforganophosphatepesticideslikechlorpyrifosandmalathiononcorn,soy,wheatflour,andoats,whichareallcommoningredientsinbreakfastcereals.Inthecaseofwheatflour,residueswerefoundinmorethan60%ofsamples.

Givenincreasingconsumerinterestinavoidinggeneticallyengineered(GE)ingredients,TheCornucopiaInstitutecontractedwithanindependent,accreditedlaboratorytotestmany"natural"breakfastcerealsforpotentialgeneticcontamination.

"Natural"cerealsfrombrandsincludingKashi(Kellogg's),Mother's(PepsiCo),NutritiousLiving,Barbara'sBakery(Weetabix),and365(WholeFoodsMarket)containedhighlevelsofgeneticallyengineeredingredients(allabove28%,someashighas100%)--eventhoughanumberofthesecompaniesrepresenttheirproductsas"non-GMO"tothepublic.

Tohelphealth-consciousconsumersmakeinformedgrocerypurchases,CerealCrimesisaccompaniedbyascorecardratingvariousbreakfastcerealandgranolabrandsforthetruesupportofhealthyandenvironmentallysustainablepractices.Thescorecardcanbeviewedat:cornucopia.org/cereal-scorecard

"Consumersprobablyfindthismarketplacesubterfugelesssurprisingwhentheylearnthatmanyoftheleading'natural'cerealbrandsarereallymanufacturedbygiantagribusinesseslikeKellogg's,hidingbehindthefaadeofwell-establishednichebrands,"saidHarryBennett,amarketingofficialwiththeKansasOrganicProducersAssociation,acooperativeofmarketingorganicgrain.

Despitefindingthat"natural"cerealproductsofferfew,ifany,advantagesoverconventionalproducts,companiestypicallychargesubstantiallyhighpricesforproductswith"natural"labelingclaims.

AnalysisbyCornucopiaofwholesaleandretailcerealandgranolapricesrevealedthat"natural"productsoftenarepricedhigherthanequivalentorganicproducts.Thissuggeststhatsomecompaniesareprofitingfromconsumerconfusion.

Forexample,pricesintheleadingnatural/organicfooddistributor'swholesalecatalogformultigrainflakesshowthattwooftheleastexpensiveproductsareactuallycertifiedorganic,offeredbyindustryleaderNature'sPathandFoodforLife.Meanwhile,Kashi's7-graincereal,madewithcheapernon-organicgrainsbythemultinationalcorporationKelloggbutdisguisedasanindependentsounding"natural"brand,ispricedhigherthanequivalentorganicoptions.

KarenZwickyofMinneapolis,MNsaidshejustboughtseveralboxesofKashicerealforher2yearolddaughter,whoshe'sbeenfeedinga"pretty"strictorganicdiet.

"TargetwashandingoutsamplesofKashi,andshelovedthetasteandItrustedthebrand,eventhoughitisn'tlabeledasorganic,"Zwickyexplained."Idon'tmindthatthebigbrandsbuyoutthesmallerorganicandmoresustainablecompanies,whatreallyisdisturbingtomeisthatitseemsthattheyareonlydoingsoinordertobuyconsumertrust."

"Committedorganiccompanies,ratedhighlyintheCornucopia'sonlinescorecard,mustcompeteagainstgiantmultinationalssuchasKraftFoods(BacktoNature),Pepsico(Mother's)andKellogg's(BearNaked/Kashi)andmisleading"natural"marketingclaims,"statedMarkA.Kastel,CodirectorattheWisconsin-basedCornucopiaInstitute."Whenmarketersintentionallymisleadconsumerswiththeir"natural"products,theyaretakingbusinessawayfromthecompaniesprovidingtrulysafeandhealthyfoodandsupportingcertifiedorganicfarmers."

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OrganicfarmersintheUSreceivedlowerpricesfortheirgrainsascerealcompaniesdroptheirdemandforcertifiedorganicingredientsandswitchto"natural"labelingandcheap,conventionalingredients.

AccordingtoresearchbytheNaturalMarketingInstitute,amarketresearchfirm,two-thirdsofU.S.consumersbelievefoodstodayarelesssafetoeatbecauseofchemicalsusedduringthegrowingandprocessingoffoods.Giventhiswidespreadinterestinavoidingfoodbornechemicals,itisincreasinglyimportantforconsumerstorealizethatbuying"natural"foodsdoeslittle,ifanything,toavoidsyntheticinputsandtoxinsusedonthefarmsandinsidethemanufacturingplants.

"Whilecallingtheirproductsnatural,someofthelargestbreakfastcerealmanufacturersareaddingingredientsprocessedwiththeneurotoxicsolventhexane,aprocessingagentthatisbannedinorganicfoodproduction,"addedKastel.

Hexaneisasolventcommonlyusedtoseparatetheoil,fiberandproteinfromgrainsandseeds.Somegranolaandcerealmanufacturersusesoyingredients,suchassoygritsandsoyproteinisolate,whicharecommonlyhexane-extractedandcancontainresidues.

DebraBoschee,anastuteconsumerfromRapidCity,SouthDakota,said"Itisn'tthethingsweknowthatscareus,it'sthethingswedon'tknow,suchas'what'sreallyinmyfood.'"

InadditiontoaccessingTheCornucopiaInstitute'snewscorecard,comparingthenation'snaturalandorganiccerealbrands,familieswhoareinterestedinfeedingtheirfamiliesthesafestandmostnutritionalfoodcanalsofindtheratingsofover120organicdairybrands,toaugmentahealthybreakfast,ontheCornucopiawebsite:

V.A.Rauh,Garfinkel,R.etal.(2006),"ImpactofPrenatalChlorpyrifosExposureonNeurodevelopmentintheFirst3YearsofLifeAmongInner-CityChildren,."Pediatrics118(6).(Availableonlineat:/cgi/content/full/118/6/e1845.)SeealsoB.Eskenazi,B.,Marks,A.R.etal.(2007),"OrganophosphatePesticideExposureandNeurodevelopmentinYoungMexican-Americanchildren,"EnvironmentalHealthPerspectives115(5):792-798.P.Grandjean,Harari,R.etal.(2006),"PesticideExposureandStuntingasIndependentPredictorsofNeurobehavioralDeficitsinEcuadorianSchoolChildren."Pediatrics117(3).(Availableonlineat/cgi/content/full/117/3/e546.)P.Z.Ruckart,P.Z.,Kakolewski,K.etal.(2004),"Long-TermNeurobehavioralHealthEffectsofMethylParathionExposureinChildreninMississippiandOhio,"EnvironmentalHealthPerspectives112(1):46-51.D.S.Rohlman,Arcury,T.A.etal.(2005),"NeurobehavioralPerformanceinPreschoolChildrenfromaAriculturalandNon-agriculturalCommunitiesinOregonandNorthCarolina,"Neurotoxicology26(4):589-598.M.F.Bouchard,Bellinger,D.C.etal.(2010),"Atte ntionDeficit/HyperactivityDisorderandUrinaryMetabolitesofOrganophosphatePesticides,"Pediatrics125:e1270-e1277.