“Behind the Bean” (pdf) - Cornucopia Institute

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Private Labels Organic consumers are often interested in knowing the story behind their food—where the food was grown, how it was processed—but store-brand, also called private-label, products are inherently anonymous. The store contracts with a manufacturer to produce the private-label foods, and often the manufacturer relies on additional middlemen. Tracing the soybeans to the source is, therefore, often a difficult endeavor. Direct relationships between the brand and organic farmers are nonexistent. By virtue of the fact that these companies are operating in a secretive manner, consumers should be very skeptical about the quality and sourcing of the raw materials. The only notable exceptions are Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s. Both companies participated by filling out the survey; Harris Teeter is in the 3-Bean category and Trader Joe’s in the 2-Bean category. Private-label companies in the 1-Bean category did not participate in the project, but through our research we were able to determine that at least some of the soybeans used in their organic soymilk are most likely sourced from North American organic family farmers. Private-label companies in the 0-Bean category did not participate in the project, and we were unable to trace the source of their organic soybeans. If you enjoy a private-label soy food product and would like to know more about the sourcing and processing, please contact the company and urge it to participate in the Cornucopia Organic Soy Scorecard project. 4. 30 Behind the bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry.
Part II: Unmasking the “Natural” Soy Industry Isolating Nutrients: Soy protein The Politics Behind the “Heart Healthy” Claim Food companies routinely place the needs of stockholders over considerations of public health, and the purpose of the soy ‘heart healthy’ claim was to increase market share. – Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition at New York University and author of Food Politics As b e s t-selling a u t h o r a n d Ne w Yo r k Ti m e s Ma g a z i n e contributor Michael Pollan points out in his latest book, In Defense of Food, we should trust foods that are “real” and whole. When a food is part of a traditional diet throughout human history, chances are that it can be a safe and healthy part of a balanced and varied diet. He suggests that new, inventive, novel, genetically engineered, and highly processed foods be met with a healthy dose of skepticism. He refers to them as “food-like substances.” Scientists agree; Dr. William Helferich, who studies the effects of soy on cancer, found in one study that isolated soy ingredients stimulated the growth of tumors. He notes, however, that some studies have shown that more wholesome soy foods such as soy flour did not have this effect. 63 Such scientific studies support the idea that wholesome foods, minimally processed, are preferable to highly processed foods including isolated ingredients. Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, and miso have been part of the diet in Asian countries for centuries. William Shurtleff, co-author of The Book of Tofu and director of the SoyInfo Center, points out that Okinawa, Japan, has the highest consumption of tofu in that country, and its people have the longest life-span compared to other regions. Soy foods such as tofu and soymilk from many companies that are rated highly in our scorecard are only minimally processed—soaked, heated, ground, strained, curdled, and pressed—and are not processed more than other traditional foods such as cheese and yogurt produced from cow’s milk. The heart healthy claim on soy foods was proposed in 1998 by Protein Technologies International, a company known today as Solae, that stood to gain financially from a health claim. The American Heart Association (AHA) has strongly recommended that the FDA no longer approve a heart healthy claim on soyfoods. the Cornucopia Institute 31
Page 1 and 2: Behind the Bean The Heroes and Char
Page 3 and 4: Contents Acknowledgments .. . . . .
Page 5 and 6: Executive Summary Wi t h t h e c o
Page 7 and 8: Introduction In t o d a y ’s glob
Page 9 and 10: Part I: The Organic Soy Scorecard C
Page 11 and 12: terials and practices that enhance
Page 13 and 14: vironment and family farmers. The c
Page 15 and 16: The claims by biotechnology corpora
Page 17 and 18: ages, others like Small Planet Tofu
Page 19 and 20: USDA organic standards. It was an i
Page 21 and 22: Brazil is a major producer of conve
Page 23 and 24: Company Ratings in the Organic Soy
Page 25 and 26: Teeter soymilk participated, we wer
Page 27 and 28: where their Chinese organic soybean
Page 29: sumers. Recently, WhiteWave claims
Page 33 and 34: Soy Isoflavones as Estrogen Mimicks
Page 35 and 36: tive effects or birth defects, or a
Page 37 and 38: protein content and increased cost.
Page 39 and 40: Clif Bar & Company writes on its we
Page 41 and 42: Nutritional DHA and ARA Oils On or
Page 43 and 44: Mead Johnson currently charges more
Page 45 and 46: Appendix A: Scorecard Ratings Soy S
Page 47 and 48: Manufacturing 100 All manufacturing
Page 49 and 50: Appendix C: List of Companies Brand
Page 51 and 52: Brand Name Corporate Affiliation Ad
Page 53 and 54: Soybeans and cotton genetically eng
Page 55 and 56: 64 Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, T
Page 57 and 58: =EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubme

“Behind the Bean” (pdf) - Cornucopia Institute

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?