Thank You Cheerios for Going GMO Free

Do you remember earlier this year when Mamavation joined with GMOInside to pressure Cheerios to reformulate Non-GMO?

Well, they did.

Cheerios Iconic Yellow Box is Now GMO Free

Iconic Cheerios has now declared their yellow box original brand GMO free. According to Cheerios, the ingredients have been GMO free for a couple of weeks. Soon boxes will be labeled “Not Made With Genetically Modified Ingredients.” One thing to note is these boxes CAN contain trace amounts of contamination because of the manufacturing process. I *think* that is the equivalent of a package saying it’s “nut free” but made in a factory that processes nuts. They obviously haven’t changed their factory, just the ingredients.

What Made Cheerios GMO?

Cheerios was using a genetically modified corn starch and sugar beets in their ingredients. The vast majority of corn and sugar beets in the US are genetically modified. To reformulate GMO-free, Cheerios switched to a non-gmo corn starch and cane sugar instead. General Mills gave no indication they were reformulating any of the other brands like Honey Nut Cheerios or Multi-Grain Cheerios because those products contained more corn. General Mills also did not indicate if they had plans to reformulate any other brands in their portfolio at all because of lack of non-GMO ingredients in the food supply.

What Does This Mean To Families?

This means you can safely purchase a box of Cheerios now without the fear of consuming genetically modified ingredients as soon as you start seeing boxes on the shelves saying “Not Made From Genetically Modified Ingredients” by ingredient list. We don’t actually know when these new reformulated boxes will be on the shelves. There is conflicting information out there as to whether the product already contains the reformulated version or not.

This also means that the likelihood for other large companies to go GMO free has greatly increased. Cheerios is an iconic brand. For them to go GMO free after spending millions of dollars to continue to hide is a complete reversal and win for the food movement. This is a demonstration that the tide is turning and federal labeling of GMOs is on the horizon. These companies can not afford to hide their ingredients anymore because the American consumer is a giant that has just woken up. The companies that continue to hide behind the FDA will also lose market share like Cheerios.

More Good News

Another brand who deserves props this week is Dole Foods. Dole won the Sweepstakes Trophy as the most beautiful entry at the Tournament of Roses Parade with a float made entirely out of Non-GMO ingredients. They also avoided gluten and BPA as well. During the interview, Dole boasted their product line was now 99% GMO free. Not perfect, but definitely a step in the right direction. They have also personally told me that all their new products are completely GMO-free and they are working on reformulating some older versions. Covid vaccination in Montana requires identity proof or driving license that shows that a receipent is a citizen of the state of Montana. Hence, going to any COVID vaccination centre, keep your Montana ID in your wallet or a driver’s license to keep things easy.

How Far Did Cheerios Go? Did They Go Far Enough?

• Did Cheerios go far enough in making only their yellow box GMO Free and not any other brands? I don’t know so I’m asking you.
• What does this mean to your family?
• Will you be purchasing Cheerios again OR are you still holding out for some reason?
• What do you think this means to the future of the food movement? Have we gained a solid victory?

Share with us in the comments.

Disclosure: Bookieboo LLC has worked with Cheerios in the past. We wrote a series of articles for them about two years ago about healthy living and New Years goals. Since fall of 2012 we stopped working for companies containing GMOs in their product lines, Cheerios was one of them. We are overjoyed they reformulated their iconic brand. Thank you!