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The Companies I am Boycotting and Why

The most important election issue to me right now isn’t even something that I am going to have the chance to vote on. Come November I will of course be watching the results of the political races but the vote that will keep me up the latest and the vote I will be watching the closest is whether or not Proposition 37 passes in California.

Image Source: GMO Free Project of Tucson


California is closer than any other state has been in history to finally get genetically modified foods (GMOs) labeled. This is hugely important not just to the state of California – but to all of the rest of us too. The passing of Prop 37 could spark a national movement that might ripple across the country. If California passes it, other states will want to as well. Some say that if all the major food companies have to change their food labels for the most populated state in the country, they will likely change all the labels because it would be too cost prohibitive to manage otherwise.

Because this effort is so near and dear to my heart, I’ve given my own money in support and I am even considering going door to door in CA to get out of the vote for this monumental initiative.

Major food companies are all working against Prop 37 and the right to know what you are eating. They are spending thousands and in some cases millions of dollars to saturate the airwaves, create TV commercials, advertisements, and send out mailers trying to confuse California citizens and convincing them to vote against labeling GMOs.

The game is still early and I’ve already seen major chemical and seed producers like Monsanto, Dupont and Dow up their ante. The money against this proposition is continuing to rise every single day. Kcet.org is keeping track of the latest numbers.

Here’s a snap shot of who is giving what and how much.  These food companies obviously do not want you to know they are using GMOs and the amount of money these companies are spending says volumes about whether they care about our best interests or not.

* A printable handout of this information is available here.

In an effort to vote with my dollars, I’ve decided not to buy any more products from these companies – even the organic brands, labels and subsideries they own.

Just Say No to GMOs.

Who’s with me?

Food Babe

P.S. You can find out what organic brands fall under these major food manufactures here and with this very revealing infographic (that literally just came in my inbox) from Cornucopia Institute:

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59 responses to “The Companies I am Boycotting and Why

  1. With all due respect, I am hoping with all my might that “as California goes, the nation goes” is NOT true. If it is true, we are in for dismal times indeed as a country.

    I live here in LALA land, and operate a small business here, and I can tell you, the last 5 years of crazy propositions passing have resulted in massive loss of jobs, the end of school reform, and the nail in the coffin of the struggling business owners like me as scores of businesses large and small leave the state in droves.

    Where is the scientific evidence that a GMO food is harmful in any way? And, if a person believes so, why not just choose fresh, organic produce and make your own tomato sauce? There are so many options out there–passing yet another law to “protect” people from something not even proven to be a problem is the last thing we need.

    1. It’s not about “protecting” people – this won’t take GMOs off the market. It’s about giving people a CHOICE.

      And… Where is the evidence that GMO food is harmful? I’ll have to find the article that I read just yesterday that links GMOs to infertility. And that’s just a start. Where’s the info that proves definitively that GMOs are safe? If I’m not certain that something isn’t safe, I don’t want to eat it.

      1. Many things are linked to infertility– it doesn’t mean it is proven to cause infertility. All it takes is ONE person out there to publish an article and Viola! suddenly its a fact. Many of these studies have no scientific back-up.

        Look, all I am saying is, its going too far. Do I really need an extra menu description to tell me a Big Mac is 2300 calories, and thus bad for me? No, any intelligent person should be able to figure that out. Nobody eats a Big Mac to be healthy.

        Companies in California are being stretched to the breaking point: high taxes, crazy regulations, labeling, what they can and can not do… believe me its insane. So now they want another label. Do you know how many millions of dollars will have to be generated to change the labels and make up new ones for all these products? And for what? This is money that a company could use to hire more people, get new products on the market, give people JOBS! The higher cost will probably be passed on to consumers, something I don’t appreciate. Where’s my choice in the matter? And why change labeling? Why not ask the company to post it on a website, that would give access to the information too. You would just have to check, a small inconvenience if your are concerned.

        You DO have a choice: Don’t buy processed food. Only buy produce that you yourself know is not GMO.

        If you’re that concerned about GMOs being harmful, then lobby to have them completely banned, because IF they are harmful, then maybe a label is insufficient. But for now, you’re just working on the assumption they “might” be harmful. Please.

        California is NOT a place to emmulate, trust me. People are forming groups to go eat goose liver in basements…in defiance of another monumentally ridiculous law banning a certain “bad for you/bad for ducks” food. What happened to freedom?

        Sorry to be so wordy, but this stuff really is irritating. I shop at farmers markets, cook most of my own food, and have a home garden. Many of the seeds I buy could be called “GMO”, they are engineered to naturally resist disease and pests. This is science at work. This is much preferrable to me having to apply a pesticide. Science is our friend, most of the time.

      2. “Do you know how many millions of dollars will have to be generated to change the labels and make up new ones for all these products? And for what? This is money that a company could use to hire more people, get new products on the market, give people JOBS!”

        Ann, apparently you didn’t read the article. These companies are spending 23 BILLION dollars to avoid changing their labels. What do you suppose they could have done with that amount of money?

        I also live in California, and I work in a small business that happens to be doing well. California is a BIG place, and not all of it is as horrible as you are making it out to be.

        FoodBabe, if you’re coming to California I hope you come out to the Bay Area. I’d love to meet you!

      3. GMOs are bad news and I want to know when I’m eating Round up! U said having seeds or plants that naturally resist disease and pests instead of having to apply a pesticide (which if u were could be a safe one) not one some mad scientist put in your soon to be food. It’s not natural it IS RoundUp:/ says so on monsontos website.

      4. If people are stupid enough to voluntarily eat GMOs, the resulting infertility is the best thing that can happen for the world. I think it’s an easy and effective way to rid the world of stupidity. Too bad it takes 3 generations.

      5. I bet there’s an article out there somewhere that someone published that says NOT eating GMO’s causes infertility. If that’s the case, we’re all really lucky someone as rude and dumb as you can’t reproduce.

        Sound dumb? Yes, it does. The same as the crap you’re spewing.

      6. Oh yeah, not eating GMOs cause infertility. That’s way the human race has had problems multiplying since appearing in the fossil record 20,000 years ago until GMO food became commercially available in 1994. You totally burned me.

      7. Also I already have 3 children, so I guess your not as lucky as you thought.

    2. Over 50 countries have significant restrictions or outright bans on GMOs, but here in the United States the FDA continues to not require safety standards or testing on GMOs. To date, there has been no long term study conducted for humans.

      The Institute of Responsible Technology reported a study showing GMOs caused toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.

      After consuming GMOs, your intestines basically turn into a breeding ground for pesticides. GMO soy and corn actually produce pesticides inside themselves. The plant becomes toxic inside so insects won’t eat it.

      A study conducted and published in the Anatomical Record revealed that female rats fed GMO soy for 15 months showed significant health issues in their uterus and reproductive cycle, compared to rats fed organic soy or those raised without soy.

      A 2009 French Study concluded the key ingredient in GMO soy can kill the cells in the outer layer of the human placenta, the organ that connects the mother to her fetus, providing nutrients and oxygen and emptying waste products.

      A Russian study conducted on hamsters that were fed GMO soy diets for two years over three generation found that by the third generation, most of the hamsters lost the ability to have babies, showed slower growth, and suffered a higher mortality rate.

      Fertility issues in males were also observed when a study on male rabbits found a decrease in sexual activity and sperm concentration and an increase in dead or abnormal sperm when they were fed GM soy.

      All links can be found in this article I recently wrote for 100daysofRealFood – http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/14/food-babe-investigates-chipotle-vs-moes/#more-2918

      1. I hear alot of bad things about soy in general… gmo or not.. do you think the fact that they are doing the studies with soy is a bad idea because of that?

        I feel with all the people with food intolerances, digestive disorders etc. the more they can put on labels for us the better!

    3. eating corn that has been modified with round up pesticide DNA to resist round up pesticide..that is what GMOs do. They are not GMO to grow bigger faster more nutritious only to resist round up..so the corn wont die when it is sprayed!! how in the hell can that be healthy????? VOTE yes PROP 37

    4. Where is the research that GMO is harmful? There’s lots! It just doesn’t get the publicity that it should.

      For starters, fertility loss is actually the best part about GMO foods… it causes epigenetic damage to the second or third generation to the offspring of those who do manage to give birth. I’ve read of a few rodent studies showing this even at low levels of GMO foods in their diet. Here’s one: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/article-gmo-soy-linked-to-sterility

      Also, there’s the issue with glycophosphate http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/new-research-gmo-food-far-worse-we-think

      Or just go through all this research: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/anti-therapeutic-action/genetically-modified-organisms
      It can even negatively affect our gut flora through gene transference. Sounds fun.

      Finally, I’d also be wary of any company which is accused of potentially being responsible for the loss of bees, and then buys out a bee research firm which had been investigating this. Yep.

      Can’t wait till the Genetic Roulette film gets made. Until then there’s always the book! 🙂

    5. I stopped eating GMO foods by eating fresh organic vegetables and fruits and grass fed meats, and I have noticed a HUGE increase in my health and relief from some health issues. However I sometimes want an easy dinner and cannot because there are no labels. There are however labels on everything for gluten free this and that, I have even seen them on canned beans which have never had gluten in them in the first place. Even organic foods may have some GMO foods in them because it only has to be 95% organic. It is just a label, plus why are these companies paying such huge amounts to fight it, if GMO is so safe why bother. Here is some evidence from scientific studies and a documentary:
      http://geneticroulettemovie.com/
      http://research.sustainablefoodtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Final-Paper.pdf

    6. Do you have children? Need I say more? Do you trust an industry that spends millions trying to hide information from you? Why would nearly every other western nation besides Canada and the US require labeling? BECAUSE THEY CARE ABOUT THERE CITIZENS!!! This is not some quirky regulation without merit..this is YOUR FOOD CHAIN!!! Wake up and can the cynicism!!

    7. Study showing increased likelyhood of tumors in rats
      http://ww.w.rapaluruguay.org/transgenicos/Maiz/Genetically_Maize.pdf

      Our body’s exchange RNA with the food we eat. Our food directly effects the expression of our genes. I just don’t trust the expression of my genes to a corporation invested in secrecy or to a Monsanto chemical scientist. Monsanto has shown how they don’t care about people(just look at their methods of forcing farmers to grow their seeds, or how they think spreading their seed that is designed to die after one season is cool. Think of the implications of cross pollination. Imagine an unavoidable destruction of plant life due to our inability to stop the spread of the genes. It’s like giving AIDS to plants. Is that good for humanity?)

  2. Ann – My understanding of the proposal is that it will not make GMO foods illegal, but it will force the manufacturer to label those foods. That way, if someone does feel these are foods are harmful, they can make an informed decision.

    1. Exactly! And for those who oppose consumers being able to make informed decisions, for them and their family, I’d love to understand why this is an issue? What is the problem in knowing what these companies are putting/including in the food they sell us? Interesting, if there was nothing wrong with GMOs then why are these companies spending so much money to fight this prop? Surely big business like this doesn’t spend money at this level without a good reason. Thanks for another great article… I eat less and less of what I used to… the more I learn, the scarier it gets to just feed yourself and your family.

      1. The food industry is largely concerned with the implications that Prop 37 would have on its ability to label GMO-ridden foods with the phrase “all natural”–a county court in CA has already held this to be a logical consequence of the proposition’s enactment. If upheld, there is a possibility that companies like Pepsico will no longer be able to intentionally mislead health-conscious individuals into buying products that are marketed as “healthful” and “all natural.” These companies will do anything to keep that from happening–and unfortunately, they have much more $$ and man-power than do those in support of Prop. 37 and will go as far as lobbying, lawsuits if passed, etc. That’s why it’s so important to get behind the movement now. Thanks so much Food Babe for bringing attention to this! I definitely plan to keep that chart with me every time I’m at the grocery store.

      2. Not wanting to put GMOs on the label that says it all..they are hiding something. And spending million fighting this also tells me they are afraid to let us the consumer know what is GMO..bottom line WE have the right to know what we are eating..VOTE yes prop 37

  3. I’m with you. I didn’t think about any of this at all until I had a kid. Then I watched way too many documentaries on Netflix during maternity leave and decided that for our family, whole, natural food is the way it is. I don’t mind spending the time to cook from scratch. And it annoys me that my whole foods can be contaminated by this crap without telling me.

  4. Thank you for this wonderful information! I am however very sad that some of the organic products listed are owned by companies against Prop 37. Many of them are one of the few choices we have in our area (Horizon being the most available and affordable dairy products). I certainly won’t be purchasing those products again. Time to research new sources.

    P.S. I haven’t read the full list yet. Any idea where Stoneyfield stands on this issue? They have the only organic whole milk yogurt I can find in our area.

    1. Stonyfield is all for the law. Quote from website ” CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg will be changing his role here at Stonyfield so he can spend more time advocating for change in our current food system, especially the labeling of GMOs in our foods. We believe that we have the right to know what’s in our food and how it is produced. We’ve been busy here at Stonyfield fighting the good fight – continuing the work we’ve been doing for years – and would love to have you join us. ”

  5. “Land of the free, home of the brave – but not home of the right to know what’s in our food.” -Organic Consumers Association

    “Why are these giant food companies spending so much money to high the truth about what’s in our food? These same companies are already informing foreign consumers about genetically engineered food in 49 other countries, including all of Europe, Japan, China, and Russia.” -Stacy Malkan, spokesperson for the Yes on 37 Right to Know Campaign

    “We have a choice: We can choose the “inconvenience” of health now or the inconvenience of disease later.” -Robyn O’Brien
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA

    Ann, We’re risking food safety to stem the weeds … really? Please get educated – this is not only a health issue, but an environmental issue as well. Try thinking not only of yourself, but our children, future generations, our water, and our planet.

  6. Wow Foodbabe, you really peel our eyes open and see the reality of what is happening!
    Thank you! People need to be educated and why this is so important.
    Thank you for standing strong in this effort, it really is about our kids and
    future generations as one person said. It always takes one generation to make it
    better for the next one:)
    Love you for all the info you share:)

  7. Thank you so much for posting this info.! I am in the Triangle area, what grocery stores do you recommend? Whole Foods? Fresh Market?

  8. Thanks for posting about this issue. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in the Bay Area and have a chance to vote yes on Prop 37. I think it is so important that people are free to make informed decisions. As an independent conservative, I think Prop 37 has the potential to cross party lines and I sincerely hope it passes. I also don’t see how this is going to hurt taxes, budgets and small businesses since it requires changes regarding food labeling, not banning products outright. I’m quite certain that even if a label states that it is made with GMO ingredients, there will be plenty of people who are still going to buy it either out of necessity or apathy. But they can no longer claim ignorance. And that, to me, signifies a greater change away from the victim mentality that so many people have. It is one thing to unknowingly consume food that may cause harm and yet another to do so willingly.

    Food Babe, I hope you’re able to come out and help us get Prop 37 passed!

  9. Food Babe for President!!!! I feel like I am being tricked every time I turn around. All the products I have been buying for my family, thinking they were wholesome and safe, are not that at all! I am constantly changing what I put in my basket at the market because of things like this. Thank you for this wonderful information!

  10. I live in CA . I post and share anything regarding information and education on GMOs. We have to pass the this!

  11. If you want to avoid GMO’s, the best way to do it is to grow your own fruits and vegetables. Most of the stuff labeled as organic really isn’t organic; it just means that they weren’t grown with the use of pesticides.
    As for the labeling of GMO’s in the products you buy on the shelf, expect the prices of those items to go up dramatically with the additional labeling. In the US all labeling of food products is dictated by the FDA, so any change in the labeling must go through FDA approval. This takes a lot of time and money by the companies that produce the products. Plus when you factor in products like fruit juices, cereals, etc., you are asking the corporations that produce the product to do backwards traceability on all raw materials brought into the manufacturing site. This also pushes the burden of additional testing onto the corporation as well as the raw material supplier. Again, increasing cost.

    1. Food processors are always changing the packages. No real extra cost to add “NO GMO’s” or “This product contains GMO’S”, Instead of spending massive amounts of money to fight the issue, they could keep the stockholders happy and provide what the consumer wants.
      Numerous other countries can’t be wrong on this issue.
      The adverse health issues are enormous.

    2. How could the cost of labeling go up when they are already labeled OR GMO FREE for exports to Europe? Kelloggs labels or simply leaves out GMOS for its exporting of cereals for example….. How could it possibly cost more if they ARE ALREADY DOING IT??
      Hogwash! Just another way they are grasping at straws to try and hide the truth! If it is so harmless, then label it! They label if it contains wheat, nuts or fish……. Just add 3 letters to that…..GMO! Seriously! Plus if they were so concerned about the price of labeling they would keep their money in a savings account instead of spending it on propaganda to sway people from voting YES on PROP 37

  12. Izze, really? That’s sad. I do my best to eliminate as many GMO products as possible. It is hard so I minimize what I can. I just can’t afford to buy everything organic, even if I could find everything. Having a garden helps though.

  13. In Oregon there are two groups of eagles that have been studied for many years. One group of eagles is flourishing – Making a come back and being taken off the endangered species list in 8 out of 10 recovery zones in Oregon.

    The major factor leading to the decline and subsequent listing of the bald eagle on the endangered species list was disrupted reproduction resulting from contamination by organochlorine pesticides. Other causes of death in bald eagles have included shooting, electrocution, impact injuries, and lead poisoning. Loss of habitat and human disturbance are potential threats.

    The other eagles live in designated recovery areas that have not recovered. Many breeding pairs produce no eggs during the breeding season. Other eggs are soft and often do not hatch. Examination shows high levels of arsenic in their nesting area. Arsenic in the ground, puts arsenic in the food supply, ingested by the eagles, and disrupting breeding.

    What has this to do with GMO’s? Simple. What we do to our food we do to our bodies. The highest concentration of poisons are found in the Apex Predators, on land that would be humans. We have been fed poisons all our lives. There is a reason autism, rare cancers, and new diseases are increasing. We aren’t just changing our environment we are changing ourselves.

    Whatever we do to the smallest microbe comes back to us multiplied. We should be wise and learn our lesson from the eagles.

  14. This is why http://www.shopOrganic.com has been very choosy about which brands to carry and favors small, privately held organic companies as opposed to larger, public companies who are beholden to shareholders to prioritize profit over health and sustainability.

  15. Silk’s Facebook page said that although they are owned by Dean, they support the labeling of GMOs.

    “We don’t oppose GMO labeling. Our entire plant-based beverage portfolio is verified by the Non-GMO Project, and proudly carries the Non-GMO Verified logo. We do believe consumers should have the right to make informed choices about the food they eat, and support the underlying principles associated with Prop. 37. We’re also proud of the national initiatives (like the Just Label It Campaign and Non-GMO Project) we support. Thanks for reaching out. ~Margaret at Silk”

    They also said: “first our soy is non-GMO and grown right here in North America.
    WhiteWave (our parent company) is owned by Dean Foods. However due to our company’s (WhiteWave Foods) recent IPO filing, we’re in a legally mandated “quiet period” and pretty limited in what we can say as it relates to our relationship with Dean Foods. We can say that Dean Foods does encourage its individual brands to support causes that are important to our consumers. Which gets back to our earlier point about Silk’s support of the Non-GMO Project and Just Label It campaign. If you have further questions about Dean Foods, please contact [email protected]. Thanks again for reaching out.”

    (I’ve heard that all soybeans are GMO. Is this true?)

  16. Hey Food Babe,

    I sent out a mass email with this info to my friends and family. Thanks for sharing.

  17. Thank you, Food Babe, for speaking out on this issue. I happen to live in California and have taken it upon myself to inform as many fellow Californians as possible about why Prop 37 needs to pass this November.
    And secondary props to you for donating to the cause, even though you won’t be able to vote on it. That’s commitment.
    Yes on Prop 37!

  18. Thanks for the info. I will make sure I buy these products to counter your LA LA LIBERAL views. Try eating regular food. You won’t be soooooo uptight.
    You remind me of the parents who were trying to get people to boycott Cherrieos because they made a peanut butter version just because of their danty stomachs can’t handle peanut butter.

  19. I work at an Advertising Agency and the cost to change a label is quite small. A couple hundred bucks. Labels are re-printed all the time – and these days it’s done digitally – so the design change is an hours cost to a designer – at most.

  20. Its a real shame that so many good companies were bought out by these corporate monstrosities. And even more pathetic that these companies are spending millions and millions of dollars to avoid having to tell us what’s in our food.
    Whether a GMO is bad for you or not, is not the point. The point is that we have required companies to tell us WHAT is in a product – and this should apply to GMOS also.
    I am not impressed with the ways companies hide MSG in products, and I’m not impressed when they fight to keep hiding GMOs.
    If there was nothing wrong with GMOs, they wouldn’t fight this Prop 37 so hard, would they?
    Actions speak louder than words.
    I don’t care one bit if it supposedly costs them millions of dollars to relabel products. That’s hard to believe. All it takes is one or two extra words added to the ingredient list – big deal.

  21. As I was eating my Kashi cereal this morning I saw that they have the box labeled with Non GMO and so did the Silk Almond I used with it. How come they are fighting against the labeling but both companies clearly had the label on the packaging? I am confused.

    1. Silk is for labeling. Dean foods who owns white wave who owns Silk opposes labeling. Kashi is in the middle of a lawsuit over their labeling practices.

  22. I am a retired pharmacist and was an independent pharmacy owner for 39 years. Twenty years ago I became enlightened and began recommending nutrients and promoting the importance of proper metabolism and maintainance of proper body temperature at 98.2 or greater.
    When one visits, for the most part, a doctor, nurse or pharmacist and low body temperature is detected, the professional dismisses it as “low but normal for you”, so one doesn’t give it a second thought. Over time low temperature may lead to “metabolic syndrome” a collection of markers and symptoms that may eventually be diagnosed as elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, a combination of these maladies, many of the health problems associated with these conditions and probably hormone malfunction.
    The thyroid gland produces metabolic horomones (T4, levo thyroxin containing 4 Iodine atoms, one loosely held, and T3,liothyronine, triiodothyronine, trade name Cytomel containing 3 iodine atoms (prescriptions required). The T4 is primarily produced by the thyroid gland and has minimal metabolic activity while T3 is unbelievably active (dose 5 to 30mcg).The T4 is a prohormone that, inside the organs, drops one iodine molecule thereby becoming T3 in quantities necessary for the proper metabolic requirements of that organ (which vary greatly from organ to organ).
    Iodine is the largest and least reactive (of the first four) atom of the chemical family of halide. The first three members, in their free form (fluorine, chlorine, bromine), attach to the vacated site on the T3 molecule producing triiodoFLUOROthyronine, triiodoCHLOROthyronine and triiodoBROMOthyronine thereby disabeling this very active thyroid molecule. So one might want to avoid the chlorine in our drinking water, cleaning products etc. and bromine which is in bread and some drinks.I am unaware of any products containing free flourine.
    Or commit to a rational exercise program that will elevate body temperature.
    This presentations has not been approved by the FDA (or drug companies) and never will be. There is, I believe, a Nobel Prize in Medicine for an enterprising biochemist who can document this. Funding will be difficult.

    1. I have this problem, and have been struggling for over a decade to lose weight as a result. My temp is 96.7. Ive proven this is a reality. I’ve noticed when my temp is raised for extended periods, I can lose weight more easily but of course it cannot be consistent as I cannot stay on a treadmill 16 hours a day to keep my temp raised. This is not recognized as a condition, and again low temp is ignored even though we know its abnormal. Probably a result of the GMO and pesticide rich food I was created in my mothers womb and the same food I was raised to eating. I’ve now begun eating like Food Babe, with very minimal impacts to my weight. The Habit #1 helps but only in the morning, then my temp stabilizes. It would be a full time job to eat and increase my temp consistent enough to lose weight effectively. To have a problem that is effectively who I am genetically is nearly impossible to fight! Labeling is necessary.

  23. IF there is nothing wrong with GMO’s then why is it such a problem to label?! &why would these companies be spending billions of $$ to stop that… RED FLAG right there. Thanks Food Babe!!!

  24. Thanks so much for all of your insight. Seriously. I love reading blogs like this. After my very healthy and young sister was recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, I have been on this kick that the American diet is the biggest reason for the cancers in our country. I am trying my best to eat only organic. Or should I say “organic”…? We shop at Safeway in Washington D.C. and they claim to have organic products, but I honestly don’t know if I believe them. I feel so in the dark in my own country about what is safe to eat. I’ve even started getting nervous before meal times because I’m afraid of what to put into my body and it stresses me out to think I might be giving myself cancer if I eat the wrong thing. Let’s be real. I am 24 years old, my hubby is in grad school. Granted, our grocery budget is where we delegate a huge chunk of our money every month, because otherwise we can’t afford to eat healthy (but are we? I mean we buy organic food and local as much as possible but now I’m realizing that the “good” brands aren’t actually).

    What I want to know is: how do you do it? You have probably been given a lot of funding to raise awareness for this cause, plus a lot of support of the brands you endorse. So no doubt you are able to eat however you want…I know you didn’t start out this way, but what did you do BEFORE you could afford this lifestyle? I wish I could afford to go out and buy JEM Speciality Nut Butters and $15 teensy packages of almond flour…but I just can’t. What about us? The middle class? The ones who want to be healthy but find it elusive with the options we’re given?

    Second: who is telling the truth? Organic brands make claim after claim, and you’re telling us they’re not truthful.

    Third: I’m glad to know what companies you don’t endorse. But I’m dying to a have a list of ONLY what brands you DO endorse. I want a list of “naughtys” and “nices”. Until I don’t live in the city anymore and can grow my own fruits and vegs, I’m stuck in an expensive city where I don’t have a ton of great store options, and even if I DID have those options, can you tell me what products are good and which are bad?

    Fourth: Can you give an at least SEMI budget friendly version of this Nice List? My husband and I are wealthy in comparison to some families who I love dearly, and I know there is no way they can afford to buy all organic, ESPECIALLY if they aren’t certain that what they are buying is actually worth the extra money they spend on these organic products.

    I would love to hear you speak from a perspective that isn’t so blessed. What would you do if you lived in a small town where no one had ever heard of Chia Seeds or “Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother”? I’m just wondering how to be this “counter food culture” (so to speak) both without being unhealthily obsessed and in situations where the option is not as readily available. THANKS so much if you actually get through this whole message. I appreciate any advice you can offer.

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