The Cornucopia Institute provides information through research regarding organic agriculture for concerned consumers.

According to Cornucopia, some of our dearly held vegan staples are, in their beginnings if not their actual physical contents, maybe not so vegan. Veganism is a lifestyle. A conscientious vegan would not accept a tofu dog that was cooked on the same grill as a beef hot dog. A conscientious vegan would not buy a dog from a pet store. A conscientious vegan thinks about what they are buying or consuming, and considers the effect it will have or has had on their body, the environment, and, of course, the animals. Because, to most conscientious vegans that this conscientious vegan knows, those three things are all intertwined and equally vital.

In “Behind the Bean, the Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry”, a study done by the Cornucopia Institute, many of the foods that vegans consume, such as Silk soymilk, 365 (Whole Foods brand), Soydream, Boca, Gardenburger, among others, are revealed to be not as veg, earth, or body friendly as they seem (or at least, if they are, some of them aren’t telling us they are!).

Gardenburger refused to participate in the survey. If they have nothing to hide, why refuse? Criteria such as ownership structure, organic certifier, sourcing and farmer relationships, and percentage of organic soybean purchase should not be withheld from enthusiastic consumers. Concerned consumers are urged to contact Gardenburger regarding their refusal to participate.

Boca is owned by Kraft, which is owned by Phillip Morris. When one thinks of Kraft, most likely the first thing that pops into one’s mind is “cheese”, and following that line of thinking—what enters your mind when you think of Phillip Morris?

Kraft has had many concerning problems in the past including marketing unhealthy food geared towards children, unwillingness to label milk that contained Bovine Growth Hormone, and the Humane Society of the United States revealed as recently as 2004 that Kraft’s testing facility in Hanover, New Jersey tested on as many as 109 dogs and 50 cats.

From the study:

“Kraft would not share the sourcing of its organic soybeans for “made with organic soybeans” veggie burgers.

Boca Burgers® that are not labeled “made with organic soybeans” are most likely made with hexane-extracted soybeans. Hexane is a neurotoxic chemical solvent that is listed as a hazardous air pollutant with the EPA, and food and feed processing is the major source of hexane pollution in this country.”

In Peta’s Vegetarian Starter kit (a generally bright, informative, positive booklet that helps many people begin their more peaceful journey into veganism), Silk soymilk and Boca Burgers are some of the top products suggested to make the transition to veganism.

Here is what Cornucopia has to say about Silk:

“Silk® is manufactured by WhiteWave, which is part of Dean Foods, the largest dairy agribusiness corporation in the country. Dean Foods also owns Horizon Organic, which produces milk on organic factory farms that allegedly violate the organic standards by denying adequate outdoor access to their cows, among other alleged improprieties.”

The study goes on to reveal that Silk, though they have announced that they are not sourcing their soybeans from abroad anymore (countries such as China), were unwilling to clue us in as to where they are sourcing their beans from now.

Don’t despair, vegans (or other veg-friendly concerned consumers!)!

Tofurkey, a (delicious) company that has provided many a green bean munching vegan a wonderful, jealousy inducing meal for not only Thanksgiving but for that every day brown bag luncher, is as wonderful to our sense of ethics as it is to our tastebuds. It is a family business with one hundred percent organic purchases, all of their manufacturing is done in house to insure its quality, GMO contamination testing is done on all incoming materials, though they go through a soybean supplier, but they insist to their supplier that all beans come from North-American grown suppliers. Maybe the most important part, however, is the fact that they shared their information, honestly and openly.

From Turtle Island Foods (Tofurkey’s company name):

“We use organic soybeans and organic tofu as a soy protein base for all our products. All our products are formulated to promote the health and vitality of both the consumer and the planet’s ecosystems. We make everything in small batches using only the finest ingredients and go the extra mile to maintain the taste and integrity of our products. Our products are vegan, kosher, packaged in recycled paperboard and cholesterol free.

Turtle Island Foods has long been a proponent of a plant based diet. We actively work to help consumers reduce their meat consumption, and realize the environmental, health and ethical consequences for their dietary choices. Turtle Island Foods is an active partner with the Humane Society of the United States, and their logo appears on our entire line of vegetarian products.”

Among other companies that rated “Outstanding” or “Excellent” on Corunucopia’s list are Edensoy, Twin Oaks Community Foods, Whole Soy, and Nasoya.

It is important to realize that our dedication to buying vegan products makes a difference, whether or not the company they come from is a completely ethically sound one. If we continue to buy their vegan lines, they will produce more and advertise more, which is a good thing for the movement. On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to dust off our inventiveness as vegans (and maybe our stove tops and kitchen counters, too), and not buy products just because they claim to be everything we are looking for. Do a little research so that you know your decisions are what’s right for you, or, just make your own veggie burgers!

Please visit http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/ for more information.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 25th, 2009 at 10:07 am and is filed under Farming, Food, News, Not DC. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.