Smirnoff Vodka Switches to Non-GMO Corn, Upsets Big Ag
Smirnoff vodka is now made with non-GMO corn. Apparently, they made the announcement a few months ago but didn’t get much exposure in the corporate or independent media.
“While Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka has always been gluten-free, 10-times filtered and triple-distilled, now the brand has made a substantial investment in transitioning to using non-GMO corn during distillation,” Smirnoff said in the announcement.
“By using non-GMO corn for Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka, we’re ensuring that anyone who avoids gluten and GMO ingredients in their everyday life still has the option to enjoy a delicious Smirnoff cocktail,” said Jay Sethi, Vice President, Smirnoff, Diageo North America.
They released a short commercial promoting the new GMO-free vodka recipe.
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Previously, Smirnoff used genetically-modified corn which many people prefer not to consume.
According to Organic Consumers Association,
GMOs are created in a lab, by inserting a gene from one organism into another unrelated organism, producing plants and animals that would never occur in nature. No long-term safety studies have been done on humans, but animal studies link the consumption of GMOs to an increase in allergies, kidney and liver disease, ADHD, cancer, infertility, chronic immune disorders and more.
Popular GMO corn strains like Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Corn are designed to withstand being heavily sprayed with glyphosate, which has been determined to be “probably carcinogenenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015.
It’s still unclear if GMOs themselves are the cause of illness in lab tests, or whether the chemical herbicide glyphosate is the primary cause.
Yet, it grows increasingly certain that glyphosate is indeed detrimental to human health. Monsanto-Bayer is neck-deep in lawsuits by sick farmers and others. And nearly all processed food has harmful glyphosate in them.
And, of course, the move by Smirnoff was roundly attacked by Big Ag sources as “farmer smearing,” “a marketing gimmick” and “anti-science.”
Others opined that since alcohol is already considered a carcinogen, who cares if it’s made with GMOs?
Shouldn’t we have a higher standard for any product we consume? Shouldn’t we support products that use the absolute best ingredients available to them?
Bravo to Smirnoff!
Jeffrey Green writes for Natural Blaze where this article first appeared.
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