Keep it real! Chobani urged to phase-out use of milk from GMO-fed cows

By Mark ASTLEY

- Last updated on GMT

Keep it real! Chobani urged to phase-out use of milk from GMO-fed cows

Related tags Genetically modified food

Chobani has vowed to “explore the complexities” of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) following the launch of a petition in the US that claims it is reliant on milk from cows fed a diet full of genetically-altered produce.

In a petition launched last week, campaign group GMO Inside called on the New York-based Greek yogurt manufacturer to stop marketing its products as ‘real’ and natural’ until it “switches to verified non-GMO milk sources.”

GMOs are organisms that have been genetically altered in a way that does not occur naturally or through traditional cross-breeding methods. Corn and soy are among the most common examples of GMO produce in the US.

According to GMO Inside, 98% of GMO soy and 49% of GMO corn is used to feed livestock and poultry.

In an open letter, GMO Inside urged Chobani founder and CEO, Hamdi Ullukaya to “be a leader and announce a phase-out of GMO animal feed for your cows.”

“It’s very misleading to market your products as ‘healthy’ and ‘natural’ when your main ingredient is linked so closely to GMOs. GMOs have never been proven safe for human consumption, but the health problems we’ve seen in lab rats and animals leave great cause for concern for ourselves, not to mention the negative environmental impacts of GMOs,” ​the letter added.

Milk not genetically modified

In a statement sent to DairyReporter.com, Chobani maintained that the milk used to manufacture its Greek yogurt products is not genetically modified.

The firm admitted, however, that there is room for improvement.

“None of our non-dairy ingredients have been genetically modified,” ​said the company. “The challenge lies in the feed to the 78,000+ cows, across 875+ farms surrounding our plants.”

“But please know that our team is dedicated to addressing GMOs. We’re currently navigating its complexities, specific to dairy, knowing that teamwork from our farmers and industry is necessary," ​it said.

Consumer GMO boycott

GMO Inside has also called on US consumers to target Chobani on Facebook.

In comments posted on the company's official Facebook page, scores of consumers vowed not to buy or consume Chobani Greek yogurt products until changes are made.

“For over two years I have enjoyed Chobani products. However, the recent hype about your GMO use has put me in a position where I can no longer support or eat your products,”​ said one post.

Announce when you stop using GMO fed cows and I’ll start buying your product again,”​ said another.

In response to one comment, Chobani replied: “We are working very hard on our end to explore all the complexities of GMOs.”​ 

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WHAT WE ARE NOT TOLD by obsequious MEDIA but NEED TO KNOW...

Posted by RanD,

I am surprised that Chobani is being chastised for using milk from cows fed exclusive diets of GMO Soy etc...what about the recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone to increase milk output...a known carcinogenic...

The Good NEWS is, to see a start on REAL thinking about food safety… thinking and learning more about GMO; other than what is fed to the populace through the bought and sold via our obsequious Modern Mindless Media.

Monsanto is absolutely correct when they repeat over and over that GMO has been studied and researched more than any other food stuff...TRUE…ABSOLUTELY!

BUTTTTT what is it, we are NOT TOLD, but we NEED TO KNOW?…that all this research is based upon a whole lot…yes lots of them….tiny studies...6 weeks to 3 months...and they are not telling us about the recent French study showing devastating harm—
mammary tumours on rat dames in the study that are 30% of body weight…second generation infertility…and the list goes on….a REAL STUDY...one with a REAL duration for exploring the REAL fallout of GMO…a six year study….since 1992 the year GMO was foisted upon the public surreptitiously and sold as the saviour…. for the species by gaining greater yields for farmers and food for the hungry…NOT…yields have diminished significantly and the fallout gets worse as obsequious glysophate seeps into our land, water and bodies…and killing our gut flora that help us digest our food…causing great harm….

Monsanto again is RIGHT..when they say….
”Roundup is harmless to animals and humans because the mechanism of action it uses (which allows it to kill weeds), called the shikimate pathway, is absent in all animals.”

THE OVERLOOKED COMPONENT OF TOXICITY IN HUMANS:

As for its effects on humans, the Samsel - Seneff study published in June suggests that glyphosate may actually be the most important factor in the development of a wide variety of chronic diseases, specifically because your gut bacteria are a key component of glyphosate’s mechanism of harm. Monsanto has steadfastly claimed that Roundup is harmless to animals and humans because the mechanism of action it uses (which allows it to kill weeds), called the shikimate pathway, is absent in all animals. However, THE SHIKIMATE PATHWAY IS PRESENT IN BACTERIA, and that’s the key to understanding how IT CAUSES SUCH WIDESPREAD SYSTEMIC HARM IN BOTH HUMANS AND ANIMALS.

The bacteria in your body outnumber your cells by 10 to 1. For every cell in your body, you have 10 microbes of various kinds, and all of them have the shikimate pathway, so they will all respond to the presence of glyphosate!

Glyphosate causes extreme disruption of the microbe’s function and lifecycle. What’s worse, glyphosate preferentially affects beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogens to overgrow and take over. At that point, your body also has to contend with the toxins produced by the pathogens. Once the chronic inflammation sets in, you’re well on your way toward chronic and potentially debilitating disease...

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Some facts

Posted by Sylvia Min,

Diabetes, heart diseases, and other diseases, can be caused by many factors:
diet, exercise, life style, stress level... Think about hamburger size 50 years ago, or the size of a glass bottle of coke, look at it now.

Countries like Iceland or Japan consumes much more seafood (high in Omega 3) than other countries, and they have significantly lower cardiovascular related disease and sudden death. People walk a lot more in those countries, too. And they live longer and healthier lives.

Don't blame anything on GMO food. There is no clinical evidence to state that GMO is harmful, just like there is no evidence to state GMO is not harmful. What we know for fact is that no difference in chemical composition is found between GMO food and non-GMO food.

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Whose experts do you believe?

Posted by Jerry Segers,

The feeding studies done by the manufacturer to gain approval for many GMO products only lasted for 6 weeks. Are we only going to eat GMO products for 6 weeks? While I have not looked recently there was previously a two page spread on the Monsanto web site explaining that no testing for GMO products was needed because they were no different from the non-GMO product. I see people eating GMO products for a lifetime. Are there any lifetime animal studies? if so I would like to read them. Do GMO products actually reduce pesticide use? Apparently no one knows. At the suggestion of Monsanto and others the EPA stopped keeping records sin 2001. Current pesticide suppliers claim their sales are getting higher every year. For example, "Syngenta, one of the world's largest pesticide makers, reported sales of its major soil insecticide for corn more than doubled in 2012. American Vanguard, another pesticide maker, saw soil-insecticide revenue jump 50 percent in 2012"(1). Does GMO feed really lower feed costs? Probably, if you insist on feeding cows corn and soybeans instead of the grass they evolved to eat. On the other hand if you finish the cows on pasture so they eat grass there are several studies which show the cost would be much lower and the cows healthier. (Yes there is plenty of available grasslands in this country) As to the preponderance of evidence that GMO food is safe - depends on who's study you want to believe. Diabetes and heart disease is now occurring in teenagers. This was unheard of 50 years ago. Diabetes up, Kidney failures up, cancer up, autism once was 1 in 10,000 children and now is it about 1 in 50. Exactly how long were the GMO safety studies? Does planting GMO seed save the farmer money? No according to growth studies on BT cotton performed by the University of Georgia. They determined the yield was the key factor in farmer profits and BT cotton had lower yield than standard cotton in most years. What are we going to do with the Palmer Amaranth taking over south Georgia that no amount of Roundup will kill. Is that an isolated case or is that happening with weeds everywhere. I understand there is evidence that the corn ear worm which is supposed to be killed by the BT in BT Corn are doing just fine and are once again becoming the pests they were before BT corn was invented. Is that an isolated case or is that happening to all insects? While I am not a food scientist, I am far from an uneducated consumer. Perhaps Mr. Katt and Mr. Min should take a close look at what the anti-GMO crowd says instead of casting aspersions and dismissing their arguments out of hand. While there is as much if not more hype on the anti-GMO side as there is on the pro-GMO side, there appear to be some kernels of truth in the corn they sow. Because of the hype on both sides, I wish to take the route of caution and label the stuff so I can choose to consume as little GMO foods stuffs as possible.

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