Thanks to the tight-knit community supporting organic foods and farming, the general public is learning more of the fallacies of genetically modified organisms or GMOs. Once believed to be the answer to possible food shortages to a rapidly growing population, GMOs are now recognized for causing more harm than good. Even Monsanto, the company most recognized for GMOs, has been insultingly branded as “the most evil company in the world.” Here on the Inquisitr, we made sure to bring you the latest pertaining to GMOs. India is now blaming Monsanto and their GMO cotton seeds for the rising suicide rate among farmers in the country. This might lead to a lawsuit, which is just another one in the growing list Monsanto is dealing with. As a matter of fact, Monsanto may win their lawsuit against Maui, Hawaii, for their GMO ban due to the judge’s GMO connections.

Through studies, GMOs have been linked with a smorgasbord of mental conditions such as autism and ADHD. They are also linked to a smorgasbord of physical conditions such as underdeveloped limbs. With that in mind, parents would probably want to keep their children away from GMOs. Unfortunately, that may be somewhat difficult for newborns because the three biggest baby formula companies are known to incorporate GMOs in their formula.

According to both Earth We Are One and Natural Society, both report GMOs should either be heavily limited or outright banned in baby products due to the fact babies are extremely sensitive to the foods they eat. They then follow-up by listing the three biggest baby formula companies known for incorporating GMO corn, sugar beets, and soy into their formula. The three are listed below with further details on why they’ve been put on the spot.

Similac products are made by Abbott Laboratories, one of the top ten pharmaceutical companies in the world. (via Similac)

Similac

The first baby formula brand is widely used and even given out for free in hospitals. Similac is made by Abbott Laboratories and uses a lot of GMO corn and soy. According to Take Part back in 2013, As You Sow, a nonprofit group focusing on shareholder advocacy, introduced a resolution to remove GMOs from their products until further studies proves they are not harmful. They even asked Abbott Laboratories to start labeling their products, too.

The Dairy Reporter, however reports that Abbott Laboratories urged their shareholders to reject the proposal. They’ve provided the following reasons on why.

“The large-scale production of certain genetically-modified crops has made it difficult to obtain enough non-GMO supply to meet global demand.”

Abbott Laboratories won the day as over 904 million voted against the proposal. But with 3.21 percent voting in favor, which is over 30 million, As You Sow earned the opportunity to bring up the proposal again one year later. Most likely, Abbott Laboratories will still go against the labeling when people take into account that they are one of the top ten pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Enfamil Products are made by Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Enfamil

This is the secondary infant formula given out for free by hospitals. Developed by Mead Johnson Nutrition, it is recognized as the number one brand of infant formula pediatricians support. However, just observing the ingredients list of a basic Enfamil product should give parents concern.

This is the ingredients list for a general Enfamil product. Take note that the first ingredient is corn syrup solids. Most corn syrup is made from GMO corn these days.

Not nitpicking every single ingredient in that grand buffet of a formula, we’ll just point out that the majority of the formula is made up of corn syrup solids. Most corn syrup is loaded with laboratory fructose, fake sugar that is notorious for causing diabetes. Also, most corn syrup comes from GMO corn these days.

Finally, out of all three on this list, Enfamil has the most products containing GMOs. They are Enfamil with Iron, Enfamil with Low Iron, Enfamil Lacto Free, Enfamil 22, Enfamil Next Step (both soy and milk varieties), Enfamil Nutramigen, and Enfamil Pro-Soybee.

Gerber products used to be GMO free and organic until Nestle bought them out. (via Gerber)

Gerber

There was a time when Gerber used to be all-natural, organic, and GMO free. However, all of that changed when Gerber was purchased by Nestlé. For many organic-supportive sites, blogs, and communities, this formula is the most questionable just because of what has been reported about Nestlé. Earlier this year in March, Courthouse News and Philly reported that a woman received death threats just for asking about fluoride in their product Pure Water. Such news sounds outrageous if it weren’t for the fact that Nestlé reportedly wants to make water a commodity by patenting water.

With that in mind, pro-organic groups ask if we should trust a company that wants to own the world’s water with baby food. It should be noted that Gerber is GMO free in South Africa but American families still get the GMO-riddled versions. As a matter of fact, Nestlé has gone on record to dismiss calls to remove GMOs from their infant formula. They cite the approved use of GMOs by several national and global regulatory companies.

In conclusion, parents can either petition to these companies to remove GMOs from their products (except for Nestlé), or they could simply boycott them. Also know that because of the growing concern of GMOs, there are not many GMO-free alternatives available for purchase.

After reading the article, what are your views on the above three baby formulas and their association with GMOs? Should all infant formula be mandated to be GMO-free?

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