Those who are fighting against the GMO takeover of Monsanto can celebrate another victory for the clean food movement as the world’s biggest spice company announces that they are going to be almost completely non-GMO and organic by 2016.
Companies such as Simply Organic have already been benefitting from the clean food movement, and although McCormick Spice Company hasn’t suffered any great losses because of it, they have decided to secure their position at the top by moving toward being completely organic and non-GMO.
Table of Contents
McCormick is Officially Going Organic, and GMO-Free
They have announced that around 80% of their products will meet the standards of the clean food movement, with more than 70% sporting new labels announcing their “non-GMO” status. While it should be noted that a number of McCormick’s products are already non-GMO, as they become more transparent, they will gain a selling point with customers.
McCormick is also adding a non-GMO vanilla extract to its line in addition to the many spices and herbs that will also be non-GMO or organic as they begin to compete for the patronage of an increasing number of consumers who only shop for non-GMO and organic products.
This announcement from the big spice company comes just in time for the biggest baking and cooking season when the demand for extracts and spices increase as more people cook and bake for the holidays.
McCormick a Healthier Option?
Believe it or not, numerous companies use irradiation in order to make spices “more safe” for the consumer.
If you’re buying from any old spice company there’s a high risk that you could be getting irradiated spices.
Luckily for people who wish to avoid irradiated spices there are options. Simply Organic, Frontier and other organic brands are good bets according to a report from FoodBabe.com, and McCormick, while not organic just yet, is another company that does not use irradiation.
According to this article from Food Safety News, McCormick opts instead for steam treatments, preserving more of the health benefits of their spices (although some say it harms the taste more than radiation treatments).
While the McCormick spice company isn’t perfect, it is admirable that they are taking these steps, making them a potentially better buy than other similar brands in a pinch if you can’t get to the health food store.
