The movement for transparency and more options within the GMO free community has hit a fever pitch in recent months and years, and the baby formula industry has been one of its biggest targets.
Despite constant doctor recommendations that “conventional” baby formula is safe and healthy for kids, many parents have grown queasy at the idea of feeding their kids genetically modified soy-based products that may be spiked with high levels of the probable human carcinogen glyphosate (aka Roundup).
But now, one major company is finally listening to concerned mothers and has made plans to roll out a line of GMO free baby formulas for the first time in years.
That company also happens to wield enormous influence in the sphere of American nutrition, making this a huge win for parents and GMO free advocates everywhere.
Similac advance baby formula containers will likely be adorned with GMO free labels now.
New GMO Free Version on Store Shelves Soon
According to this report from the New York Times, the makers of Similac Advance, the top baby formula brand in the United States, will roll out the GMO free version by the end of the month at Target, which has recently made a new commitment to organic and non-GMO products.
Chris Calamari of Abbott Nutrition, the parent company of Similac, said that the company took feedback from moms and dads into account when making the decision.
He added that the movement and petitions to the company were not the reason for the change, but that the company instead made the decision based on internal research saying that it would have a strong appeal to over one-third of their consumers.
Similac Organic is already offered (organic products are non-GMO by definition according to U.S. regulations), but parents have said they wanted other non-GMO versions as well.
Similac Sensitive will also be offered by Abbott Nutrition, a company that is a major sponsor of the top dietitians’ association in the U.S. and whose products are served in hospitals across the country.
Because of Abbott’s clout among nutritionists and doctors, this decision could have a massive effect in terms of educating more influential people in the world of healthcare, as well as in helping mothers to raise healthier babies (though breastfeeding is still the best option and it remains to be seen what other ingredients the formulas will contain).
What Should Parents Think?
While the new version will be GMO free, it’s well worth noting that the product will most likely still contain glyphosate, which is one of the worst things a parent could introduce in their infant’s diet, regardless of how widespread “conventional” food is given in the American society.
It is also worth noting that the product may well still be soy-based, which many argue is far from ideal for human diets, let alone in infants. Here is a link to 20 documented reasons why soy should not be considered a health food, especially if it’s not fermented and organic.
Choose wisely, parents.
Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.
About Nick Meyer
