April 23, 2013 by NATASHA LONGO
Earth Balance is a company that claims to "take the health
of our planet just as seriously as we take the wellness of our
customers." They also assert this position with a Non-GMO commitment
believing in "environmental protection and agricultural methods that
work in harmony with nature." When we investigated Earth Balance, we
found these statements to be purely superficial marketing tactics
designed to deceive consumers into purchasing foods manufactured with
ingredients which completely contradict their corporate philosophy
statements.
Many Kashi lovers were in disbelief after my report revealing the deceptive claims
made by their breakfast products. As a Kellogg company, Kashi stays
true their corporate masters and riddles their products with
genetically modified (GM) and pesticide loaded ingredients.
The reason more organic and natural brands are being
exposed is twofold: First, many of them are being bought out by large
multi-national corporate food giants who then adopt their own protocols,
including diminished standards of quality and deceptive policy
practices considered normal across the industry; and second,
agricultural and labeling practices have become so lax and unregulated
by the USDA and other organic certification agencies, that they are
practically redundant in terms of any protection to the consumer.
The largest food giants have one goal--profit. They
couldn't care less about the end consumer, their safety or the growing
needs of a family, especially if that involves maintaining integrity
through health conscious food choices. That's why they produce the
cheapest quality food on Earth with little nutritional value and maximum
profit potential.
Health conscious consumers became wise to
their game long ago. So the food giants had to evolve to continue to
increase profits and capture these segments of the population they had
lost. As small organic brands proliferated, they were bought out by the
big boys who had the money, resources and branding power to reformulate
high quality products into inferior substandard duplicates. This has
happened to hundreds of organic brands and so the cycle continues.
There are now hundreds of trendy brands
promoting a plant-based diet and earth-friendly lifestyle through their
online portals and social communities. They attract raw foodies, vegans,
vegetarians and just about anybody else who thrives on an alternative
source to our troubled conventional food supply. These trendy umbrella
affiliates have become very creative in how they reach out to the health
conscious communities.
Earth Balance is just one of them.
Why You Should Never Buy Earth Balance Products
Earth Balance is a division of GFA Brands, Inc., an
operating affiliate and subsidiary of Smart Balance. So who are they?
Smart Balance buttery spreads were first introduced in 1995 by GFA
Brands. The company was previously known as Boulder Specialty Brands,
Inc., and had its initial public offering in 2005. They changed their
name to Smart Balance, Inc. in May 2007, when they acquired GFA
Brands, Inc., a privately held company, which owned the Smart Balance
and Earth Balance brands.
Their products can be found in almost every mainstream supermarket chain
in the U.S. and Canada, as well as many larger format stores. Earth
Balance products are found primarily in natural food as well as a
growing number of regular supermarkets.
Smart Balance is already a fairly big player in their market niche.
Their net sales are well over 300 million per year with well established
profits and operating incomes that would impress any shareholder. But
they didn't get there by using the best ingredients and staying true to
the people that bought into their market. They got there by using
artful persuasion and malicious practices which deceive people into
purchasing a message about food rather than a food that epitomizes the
message.
Before I dive further into the details of Earth Balance products, I
would like to categorically state that even before investigating this
company, I never ate or purchased any of their products. I've always
considered their product line junk food. In my opinion, healthy food
does not contain processed GMO oils and Soy and it never will.
These are two of the ingredients commonly used in many Earth Balance
food products. Neither are a health food and both can cause serious
health problems in the long-term.
Soy (TOXIC)
For a brief analysis on the health dangers of soy, please review #2 on my recent article, 7 Foods To Stop Consuming Today.
If you still trust ANYTHING about soy, you likely have not completed
sufficient research to make a fully informed decision. If you were to
carefully review the thousands of studies published on soy, you would
likely reach the same conclusions--the risks of consuming unfermented soy products FAR outweigh any possible benefits.
Soy is very problematic crop. Non-organic sources of soy in many
agricultural practices are being passed off as organic. In 2011, the
USDA uncovered a plot to import fraudulent organic certificates
produced by an uncertified supplier in China. The Chinese firm used
the counterfeit certificate to represent non-organic crops, including
soybeans, millet and buckwheat, as certified organic.
Any ingredient listed as soybean or soy on any product ingredient list
has a 93% chance of being GMO if it is not listed as organic.
These types of things are happening every year and only a fraction are
being discovered. Even domestically sourced organic soybean crops are
now being investigated for having
GMO origins. You cannot trust the soy conglomerates. The
industry has dumped millions into persuading people that soy is a
health food when it's really a junk food, especially modern soy in all
its processing.
There are very few types of soy that are healthy for the
body and all go through a very slow stringent fermentation processes,
none of which you will ever obtain in a processed food spread or milk.
The bottom line when it comes to soy is that we are all participating
in what Daniel M. Sheehan, former senior toxicologist with the FDA’s
National Center for Toxicological Research, has called a “large,
uncontrolled and basically unmonitored human experiment.”
Canola (TOXIC)
After the public health scare (or fear mongering) in the 1970s over
animal fats, sales of vegetable oils of all types increased. It was
the established wisdom that those oils high in polyunsaturated fatty
acids were especially beneficial. The obsession with polyunsaturated
versus saturated fats led researchers and nutritionists to overlook
some of the other features of vegetable oils that we now know are
crucial to health, including:
- Susceptibility to rancidity;
- Ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids and its relevance in inflammatory diseases and immune system function;
- Possible presence of irritating or toxic compounds in particular plant oils.
Although Chinese and Indian peoples have long used
rapeseed oil in cooking, it was not refined and processed to the
extent of modern commercial methods, and it was never considered to be
a high quality oil for human consumption.
Canola oil contains a long-chain fatty acid called erucic
acid, which is especially irritating to mucous membranes; canola oil
consumption has been correlated with development of fibrotic lesions of
the heart, CNS degenerative disorders, lung cancer, and prostate
cancer, anemia, and constipation.
The long-chain fatty acids found in canola have been
found to destroy the sphingomyelin surrounding nerve cells in the
brain, in some cases leading to a degenerative brain condition
remarkably similar to mad-cow disease (bovine spongiform
encephalopathy); in advanced cases the brain tissue develops a
Swiss-cheese-like appearance, full of holes. Illnesses and conditions
that have been associated with canola oil consumption include loss of
vision (retinal capillaries are very sensitive and easily damaged), and
a wide range of neurological disorders.
Today, even those who are moderately educated about
nutrition understand that Canola (also known as rapeseed) is not a
health food and it could not possibly ever be classified as organic due
to its breeding and origin.
The toxic properties of the rape plant are
cyanide-containing compounds called isothiocyanates. Wild animals
will not eat the plant and many farmers report that their animals
will not eat feed contaminated with canola.
In various studies, experimental rats fed canola oil
developed fatty degeneration of the heart, kidney, adrenals, and
thyroid gland. On withdrawing the canola oil from their diets, the
deposits dissolved but scar tissue remained on all vital organs.
Genetically modified Canola was derived in the 70s from cross-breeding
of multiple lines of the rape plant to produce a much lower percentage
of
erucic acid, a known food borne toxin. Thus, Canola is GMO by design
and organic canola is a misnomer. It's another industry tactic to make
consumers believe something is organic in nature which has never been by
origin.
In the last 20 years we have seen a dramatic increase in muscular
disorders such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Soy and
Canola oils are players in the outbreak of these disease conditions.
So are the organophosphates--insecticides such as malthion-- used in
food production in the name of efficiency.
Canola contains fats that experts say should not be
exposed to heat, yet it is usually exposed to high temperatures, and
then deodorized and bleached. It has been shown to deplete vitamin E
levels in mammals. The plant itself (rapeseed) is an insect repellent
and used in industrial manufacturing. Soybean oil has been linked to
breast cancer and its high levels of Omega-6s linked to inflammatory
diseases and its omega-3s converted into the undesirable trans form.
Even "lightly refined" and "expeller pressed oils can be
exposed to deodorizing, which may raise the oil temperature to a
sizzling 450 deg F. When metabolized in the body, it produces the
latex-like substance that causes the agglutination of red blood
cells.
GMO Sugar Beets (TOXIC)
In July 2012 genetically modified sugar beets got a sweet pass from the USDA. The agency announced that the crop posed no pest risk and would therefore be deregulated, much to the disappointment of groups like the Center for Food Safety,
Organic Seed Alliance, High Mowing Organic Seeds and the Sierra Club,
that challenged the agency in a lawsuit stretching back to 2008, on
the premise that not enough research had been done over the
environmental impacts of the genetically engineered crop.
Nearly 95 percent of the U.S. sugar beet production is grown from
genetically modified seeds -- a swift change from 2005 when they were
first approved for planting. More than half of U.S. domestic sugar
production comes from sugar beets, the remainder comes from sugar cane.
At one point there was a nationwide ban
imposed on GMO sugar beets and it was overturned the next business day.
It is the jurisdiction of the US Department of Agriculture to
determine whether plants are environmentally safe; this case is
about whether the plants can cross pollinate (by wind, insects, etc)
and contaminate other plants. However, the USDA never properly assigns
itself a responsible enough position to investigate this task because
it would cost Monsanto billions of dollars and we wouldn't want that.
Palm Fruit
Oil (BAN)
Palm Fruit oil is taken from the fruit of the oil palm tree. It comes from the same part of the palm tree as regular palm oil.
Indonesia has achieved its goal of becoming one of the two largest
palm-oil producers and exporters in the world. But at what cost?
At least half of the world’s wild orangutans have disappeared in the
last 20 years; biologically viable populations of orangutans have been
radically reduced in size and number; and 80 percent of the orangutan
habitat has either been depopulated or totally destroyed. The trend
shows no sign of abating: government maps of future planned land use
show more of the same, on an increasing scale.
In Malaysia, peat swamp forests are being obliterated,
and the disappearing forests endangering the habitat of the “pygmy
elephant -- the smallest elephant on Earth -- the clouded leopard, the
long-nosed tapir and many rare birds.”
As word spreads about the devastation that palm oil cultivation can
cause, people are beginning to take notice and companies are beginning
to make changes. Sustainable palm oil is in its infancy, and according
to Worldwatch Institute, palm oil sustainability criteria remain controversial.
Palm Fruit Oil is simply another ingredient that needs to be banned
from our food supply. We don't need it if it's not sustainable in the
health of our ecosystems or wildlife.
Agave Syrup
(TOXIC)
Fully chemically processed sap from the agave plant is
known as hydrolyzed high fructose inulin syrup. It needs
to be hydrolyzed so that the complex fructosans are
"broken down" into fructose units or it won't be
sweet!
According to Dr. Ingrid Kohlstadt, a fellow of the
American College of Nutrition and an associate
faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Public
Health:
“[Agave is] almost all fructose, highly processed sugar with great marketing.”
Depending upon where the agave comes from
and the amount of heat used to process it, your
agave syrup can be anywhere from 55 percent to
90 percent fructose, whereas sugar and honey are
closer to 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
Fructose is much sweeter than glucose, and this chemical
makeup also explains why the glycemic index is lower (it
only takes glucose into account).
This range of fructose content hardly makes agave syrup
a logical choice if you’re hoping to avoid the
high levels of fructose in HFCS (high fructose
corn syrup).
Since most agave syrup has such a high percentage of
fructose, your blood sugar will likely spike
just as it would if you were consuming regular
sugar or HFCS, and you would also run the risk
of raising your triglyceride levels. It’s also
important to understand that whereas the glucose in
other sugars are converted to blood glucose, fructose is
a relatively unregulated source of fuel that your liver
converts to fat and cholesterol.
A significant danger here is that fructose does not
stimulate your insulin secretion, nor enhance
leptin production, which is thought to be
involved in appetite regulation.
Fructose may also interfere with your
body’s ability to metabolize copper. This can
result in depletion of collagen and elastin,
which are vital connective tissues. A copper
deficiency can also result in anemia, fragile bones, defects
in your arteries, infertility, high cholesterol and
heart disease, and uncontrolled blood sugar levels.
Additionally, fructose consumption has been shown to
significantly increase uric acid. Elevated
levels of uric acid are markers for heart
disease. It has also been shown to increase
blood lactic acid, especially in diabetics. Elevations in
lactic acid can result in metabolic acidosis.
Isolated fructose has no enzymes, vitamins or minerals
and can rob your body of these nutrients in order to
assimilate itself. Hence, consumption of
fructose can also lead to loss of vital minerals
like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Exposing Earth Balance Products
*** SPREADS ***
Original:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Olive Oil:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Soy Free:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Soy Garden:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Soybean, GMO crushed Soybeans,
Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Whipped:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
*** SOY MILK ***
Soy (Toxic):
Soy in all of Earth Balance's Soymilk does not follow the
slow stringent fermentation process necessary to make soy non-toxic.
Consequently the entire Soymilk product line is toxic by their primary
ingredient.
Carrageenan (Toxic):
The entire Soymilk line also contains Carrageenan, which
acts as an emulsifer and stabilizer. All Carrageenan is
typically extracted using powerful alkaline
solvents. Even at low doses, it has been found to
destroy human cells and is linked to various human
cancers and digestive disorders.
Carrageenan has also been found to impair and depress cell-mediated
immunity and cause the proliferation of tumour growth.
The mechanism responsible for carrageenan-induced
immune suppression is believed to be its selective
degenerative effect on white blood cells.
*** DRESSINGS ***
All Dressings contain GMO Canola
*** BAKING STICKS ***
Shortening:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola
Vegan Butter Sticks:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola, GMO Soybean, Natural Flavor (GMO corn derived), Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
*** NUT BUTTERS ***
All Nut Butters contain:
Toxic Ingredients = Agave Syrup
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
*** CULINARY SPREADS ***
Organic Coconut:
Toxic Ingredients = GMO Canola Oil, Lactic Acid (from GMO Sugar Beets)
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Sweet Cinnamon:
Toxic Ingredients = Crushed Soybeans, Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
Organic Sweet Cinnamon:
Toxic Ingredients = Crushed Soybeans, Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin
Eco Destructive Ingredients = Palm Fruit Oil
After reviewing all of the above, is this a company that takes the
health of our planet just as serious as they do health and wellness?
They do not protect the environment or source ingredients from agricultural methods that work in harmony with nature. They do not uphold their Non-GMO commitment and they continue to use toxic emulsifiers and sweeteners.
Earth Balance should be ashamed of their misrepresentation and I urge
you to help educate others by sharing this information with as many
health conscious consumers as possible. The only way we will stimulate a
call for action and bring a greater sense of integrity to the health
food industry is by exposing companies like Smart Balance and their
subsidiary Earth Balance.
Natasha Longo has a master's degree in nutrition
and is a certified fitness and nutritional
counselor. She has consulted on public health
policy and procurement in Canada, Australia, Spain,
Ireland, England and Germany.
Sources:
organicauthority.com
smartbalance.com
proliberty.com
cornucopia.org
takepart.com
preventdisease.com
nytimes.com
wikipedia.org
rmhiherbal.org
thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
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I'm just saying, we can't escape it.... This world has been under a "World Order" since its inception, and so as I say, every year that I resist, complain, fuss and refuse to change my clock out of sheer rebellion, ain't no such thing as a "New World Order"!
