Sounds like we already gave away the answer, right? Wrong. According to a recent analysis from Consumer Reports, Xochitl’s chips contained GM corn, even though they claim to be GMO-free. Takis, on the other hand, were blissfully absent of GM corn. That’s not the only surprise Consumer Reports found when the publication sent products to an independent testing lab, which analyzed them for the presence and quantity of GM corn and soy—two of the most common GM crops. The big shocker? Lots of foods with the “natural” claim boasted significant amounts of GM corn and soy, including Xochitl chips, Utz Natural Multigrain Tortillas, and Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars Oats ‘N Honey. Say it ain’t so? Well, brace yourself, shopper ignorati, but the “natural” label doesn’t mean squat when it comes to GMOs, despite the fact that 64% of Americans believe the claim indicates a food has no GM ingredients, according to a Consumer Reports survey. In fact, the publication’s report found that 70% of items without the Certified Organic seal or that were not labeled non-GMO (exception, Xochitl, of course), contained an average of 70% GM corn or soy, regardless of the presence of a “natural” label on a product’s packaging. Some of these foods had as little as 17.8% GMOs, but others boasted as much as 100%. MORE: The Totally Disgusting Ways Food Gets Contaminated What to do? Choose Certified Organic, which, by designation, means a product can’t contain GM ingredients. Or opt for products with the trustworthy Anti-GMO Project Verified seal, which the Consumer Reports’ data found never contained GMOs. Neither did those Nitro corn snacks, but…we might just leave those on the shelf.
