Saturday, 28 June 2014

Finding Non GMO Vitamins And Supplements

By Ina Hunt


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 with certifying associations, it's still buyer beware. Many original pioneering companies in the industry have been sold. This fact may not be well-publicized, since the cachet of the brand is important to the new owners. However, the philosophy of the present ownership might not be the same. If a brand has been acquired by a major conglomerate, you need to be aware of the fact.

Finding a non-GMO designation on the label is helpful, of course. More and more, manufacturers of truly natural products want customers to know that they are not including ingredients that have been changed into substances never found in nature. After all, the whole idea of alternative healing and health maintenance is that the body will take care of itself if given the right nutrition. If more companies keep their products 'clean' and advertised the fact, and if consumers learn to value truly natural products, the industry will correct itself.

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.

There is a long history of safety claims made for innovative products, especially when the innovation is done for convenience of growers and manufacturers rather than to enhance the benefits. Often early concerns prove to be more accurate than the assurances of safety. At this time, many consumers choose to live without GMOs.




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