The Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org) has just released a new report about organic soy products that’s sending shockwaves through the soy industry. By compiling information on the sourcing of soybeans, the use of toxic chemicals for soy protein extraction, and the use or avoidance of genetically modified soybeans, the Cornucopia Institute has created an Organic Soy Scorecard that reveals which soy product companies are truly trustworthy vs. those that are not.
The scorecard (http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/s…) takes into account:
• Where the soybeans are sourced from (many companies use “organic” soybeans sourced from China!)
• How the soybeans are processed (some companies bathe soybeans in toxic chemicals, then put the resulting extracts into infant formula!)
• How forthright the companies are in providing information to investigators.
• Whether the company tests for and avoids genetically modified soybeans.
You can read the full report on www.Cornucopia.org
Here’s who came out on top:
The soy companies scorecard
5-star rating
• Eden Foods – 100% of their soybeans are grown in the U.S. and Canada.
• Vermont Soy (Vermont) – 100% of soybeans also grown in U.S. and Canada (mostly in Vermont). Low-heat pasteurization helps preserve soybean nutrients.
• Small Planet Tofu (Washington) – Buys solely from American farmers.
• FarmSoy (Tennessee) – Real tofu made from soybeans bought from American farmers.
• TwinOats (Virginia) – Buys soybeans from an organic family farm in Virginia.
• Unisoya / Green Cuisine (Canada) – They grown their own organic soybeans on 400 acres.
4-star rating
• Organic Valley
• Great Eastern Sun
• Fresh Tofu
• Wildwood
• Tofu Shop
3-star rating
• Harris Teeter
2-star rating
• Trader Joe’s – refused to disclose sourcing information
1-star rating
• Pacific Natural Foods – Buys soybeans from China and refused to disclose the name of the organic certifier in China. Refused to respond to questions about the certification of their “organic” soybeans. Cornucopia wonders whether Pacific Natural Foods is engaged in “a marketing gimmick” when it claims its products are “Certified to the Source.” (Certified by who?)
• Vitasoy USA – Buys soybeans from China.
• Westsoy / SoyDream (both owned by Hain Celestial Group) – Refused to share sourcing information.
• Silk (Dean Foods) – Refused to participate. Says the report: Since Dean Foods acquired WhiteWave, its founder, Steve Demos, has left the company, along with almost all of the pioneering management — those who believed in “green” values. According to Demos, the company is now all about “green, with the dead presidents on it.”
Phenolic food compounds are all somewhat related, having a common ring formation (phenyl ring) as part of their molecular structure. There are literally hundreds of phenolic compounds in plants that are responsible for most of the odour, colour and other characteristics of the plants. In recent decades, agriculturalists have selectively bred plants with increased levels of certain phenolic compounds to make them more resistant to fungus. In doing so, they have created plant foods that may cause adverse reactions in humans. For example soybean plants of today have 200 times the amount of phenylisocyanate as in soybeans of just 30 years ago.
There are multiple sources of exposure to aromatic compounds. Aromatics are in pollens, food additives, toothpastes, tobacco smoke, drugs, insecticides, perfumes, dyes, ink, carpeting, cleaning solvents, auto exhaust fumes as well as foods. The list of problems associated with these compounds is long. It includes hyperactivity and learning disabilities in children, the irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, ear infection in children, arthritis and migraine headaches. Phenolics appear to affect mood so that a person can be cheerful or depressed, according to the presence or absence of phenolics in the brain.
In a earlier post I also wrote about Soya and brain damage in men.
“Why Soya is not good for you”
Soya anyone?
Be well
Dr Sundardas