Susan
If GMOs Are So Great, Why Not Advertise Them?
This month is the 3rd annual non-GMO month and shopOrganic has relaunched as shopOrganic & shopGMOFree because we believe consumers should have the ability to purchase foods they know is free of GMOs. But, as a consumer, you don’t always know – you can’t see from reading a label what ingredients might be GMOs.
As you’ve no doubt noticed, there’s a lot of buzz around genetically modified organisms (GMO) right now, especially in light of the upcoming California vote on Prop 37, which would require manufacturers to label GMOs in their products.
California is the 8th largest economy in the world (yes, you read that right), so if manufacturers are required to label GMOs in California, all products they sell (likely) will be labeled since it’s not cost-effective to have packaging for California and packaging for the rest of the country.
I can’t speak to the text of California’s Prop 37 – I’m not a voter there and haven’t read the bill in its entirety. However, I can speak to wanting to know what’s in the food I’m eating. That’s pretty fundamental. And, to repurpose one of the common arguments FOR Prop 37, if GMOs are not harmful or better yet, if they’re so great, why the refusal to label them as such?
When foods are packed with Omega 3’s, manufacturers splash that all over the packaging. The big thing right now seems to be “made with 33g whole grain”, which I honestly don’t know exactly why that matters since that product has 1g fiber per serving….but I digress. The point is when there’s a health benefit – real or perceived – manufacturers are quick to pounce on it and announce it all over their packaging, even when it’s just “window dressing”. So why don’t we see big splashy packaging announcing “packed with GMOs!” or “made with the latest GMOs, try it today and taste the difference!” ?
Manufacturers don’t advertise it because there is no consumer benefit to GMOs in foods (lots of downside, but that’s for another post). The benefit is to large growers and manufacturers and, as most major issues in life, it comes down to money. Maybe it’s about control as well, but ultimately, I think it’s just about the money.
So, here’s my suggestion – since this is the 3rd annual non-GMO month, check out the movie Genetic Roulette (www.geneticroulette.com) or visit the folks at Responsible Technology (www.responsibletechnology.org) to learn more. It’s a fascinating topic and when you have a wide range of really smart people from many different social and scientific disciplines opposing GMOs, it’s worth paying attention to. Learn more, become informed, form your own opinion.
In the meantime, shopOrganic just relaunched as <a href=”http://www.shoporganic.com” target=”blank”>shopOrganic & shopGMOFree</a> to let our customers know that every product we carry is <b>free of GMOs.</b> We’ve dropped entire product lines because the manufacturer indicated their products all contain some GMOs (that was a real jaw-dropper). We’ve added new products (often from smaller producers) to offer products that we know are organic & GMO-free. Visit today and shop safe.
shopOrganic online organic retailer relaunches shopOrganic & shopGMOFree
So, I’ve let this blog get a bit stale, we’ve been busy running our growing company, but I’m happy to announce we’re re-booting our blog and revamping our website this month in honor of the 3rd annual non-GMO month.
shopOrganic, the premier online retailer of organic foods and eco-friendly products, has just re-launched as shopOrganic & shopGMOfree.
Without mandatory labeling, it’s difficult for consumers to determine whether their favorite products are produced using GMO’s. As U.S. consumer concern over GMO’s reaches critical mass, interest in non-GMO shopping options is on the rise and shopOrganic & shopGMOFree have responded by offering the widest range of organic and non-GMO products available online today.
shopOrganic has responded to this need by ensuring that the thousands of organic foods and eco-friendly products offered on their site are GMO free. The newly redesigned site focuses on consumers searching for non-GMO foods and provides reassurance about the nature of the products they purchase. The timing of the re-launch coincides with both the celebration of the 3rd annual Non-GMO month and the upcoming California vote on the labeling of GMO products.
I was amazed to learn that recent studies show that over 90% of all Americans want to know if their food contains genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). I knew there was serious interest in this topic, but I didn’t realize so many Americans shared this concern about GMOs. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a plant or animal whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. And though the data is not definitive on the safety of consuming foods with GMOs, it seems reasonable to WANT know whether or not the food you’re eating contains GMOs. In the U.S. there are currently no restrictions on GMO’s, but in many other countries around the world, GMOs are banned. These countries include the entire European Union as well as China and Russia. Curious why the U.S. is so far behind this curve….
shopOrganic & shopGMOfree believes that everyone has a right to safe and healthy food and they make it easy for concerned consumers to shop without the worry that they’ll be feeding themselves and their families GMO foods.
October marks the 3rd annual Non-GMO Month. Started in order to raise awareness of GMO’s this month-long educational opportunity broadens the knowledge to a wider and wider population each year. The issue has created a groundswell of concern in California, where their population will soon vote on Proposition 37, a GMO labeling initiative. Whether or not that proposition passes, shopOrganic & shopGMOfree remains a trusted non-GMO shopping source.
shopOrganic.com was founded in 2008 to provide consumers with access to organic, non-GMO and eco-friendly products. The company is located in Tucson, Arizona and is privately held.
Thoughts on Turning Two – shopOrganic Celebrates Two Year Anniversary
This week, we celebrate your two year anniversary. What an eventful two years its been. In early 2008, when our plans for launching this business and the shopOrganic.com website were forming, we had no idea that the economy was about to fall out from beneath our feet. We had high hopes and when we clicked the button to publish the site and make it live that evening on May 8, 2008, we thought great things were about to happen. And we were right…sort of ….
We had strong sales at first, but as the economic cloud get getting bigger and darker, we grew concerned that our sales wouldn’t grow fast enough and that our start up cash would run out before we hit our stride.
We have continued to do what we do best – find the highest quality, most unique and wonderful organic, fair trade and eco-friendly products available; offer them on our easy-to-use website and provide THE best customer service anywhere on the planet. It’s a simple but powerful combination and judging from our repeat customers, we know it’s a winning formula.
As we look back, we recognize the long hours, the hard work and the stress we endured to create this company. As we look forward, we see a bright horizon and wonderful opportunities awaiting us. We have big, BIG plans for the future and we’re confident we’ll be able to create this new future with a bit of help from our loyal customers, new customers and maybe an angel investor or two….
For now, we continue to wake up every day thankful that we do what we love and make a difference in people’s lives. We would love to hear your comments and thoughts about our two year anniversary – feel free to comment here or visit shopOrganic and submit comments through our online form.
Thanks to everyone who made the first two years possible. We believe that our very survival over this two year period is a huge victory and we appreciate everyone along the way who encouraged, supported, offered us discounts to get us going and most of all our customers who make every day a great day at shopOrganic.
Healthy Tips for Joint Care
I was reading an article this morning in the NY Times online on how to care for your joints in hopes of avoiding joint replacement later in life. (See NY Time Join Care article). It’s a decent article with common sense reminders – maintain a healthy weight, be kind to your joints, etc. Nothing new, certainly nothing we didn’t already know. What disappointed me was that there was no mention of good nutrition anywhere in the article.
Good overall nutrition is important for good overall health. Makes sense but rarely is maintaining a healthy diet “prescribed” as part of a preventive program such as that for avoiding hip or knee replacement. Certainly the mechanics of the body are vitally important and are often what determine whether one’s joints wear out through daily living – I’m guessing heredity may also play a role.
Still, something as simple as healthy food can make a significant difference on all the body’s finely tuned systems. Eat healthy, be well.
Join us at shopOrganc.com for the best organic food anywhere – your body deserves the best!
We’re Baaack
We’ve been so busy growing our business, we sort of lost site of this wonderful spot on the web where we can connect with you and share our thoughts, stories and successes. Well, now that we’ve reconnected, we’ll keep this place fresh – so please stop by again soon.
