The two simplest ways to avoid GMOs are:
1) Buy certified organic / USDA Organic products, which cannot intentionally include any GMO ingredients. Read more about organics and GMOs here >
2) Look for products bearing the “Non-GMO Project” verified seal, which indicate these products went through a separate certification process.
A third way is to become familiar with the brands that source their ingredients from GMO-free ingredients. Below you’ll find a list of brands that fall into this category.
Important Notes:
Note #1: some of these brands and products are organic, others are not, even if they are still GMO-free.
Note #2: a few of these brands are owned by major food corporations that are opposed to GMO labeling and donated large sums of money to defeat California’s Proposition 37 in November 2012. These brands are designated in red text. (If you’re curious to see a more complete list of “corporate-owned organic brands,” please click here.)
Depending on where you live, these “corporate organic” brands may be your only choice for purchasing organic food. Whenever possible, please try to purchase products from the below brands *without* red text, as these companies are truly non-GMO–both in terms of their product *and* their philosophy.
Note #3: to view a list of GMO-free brands that are family- or privately-owned, click here.
Note #4: if you’d prefer a complete, searchable, product-by-product listing of items have received Non-GMO Project certification (regardless of whether owned by a corporation or a family), just click here.
GMO-Free Brands:
(Note: this list was originally compiled from the Nourished Kitchen, and has been checked, edited, and added on to since its first publishing.)
- Amy’s Kitchen: GMO-free source of canned soups, chilies, boxed and frozen meals.
- Annie’s Naturals: Manufacturer of BBQ sauce, salad dressings and other condiments sourced from gmo-free ingredients.
- Arrowhead Mills: GMO-free providers of baking mixes and flours found in both natural health food stores and regular supermarkets. (Owned by Hain Celestial; see note* below)
- Beanitos: Manufacturer of bean-based chips in multiple flavors, non-gmo project verified.
- Bearitos: Manufacturer of snack foods and dips using gmo-free foods. (Owned by Hain Celestial; see note* below)
- Bob’s Red Mill: GMO-free provider of baking mixes and specialty flours.
- Cascadian Farms: Frozen entrees, juices, frozen vegetables and fruit, yogurt and other foods. (Owned by General Mills, who donated $1.13 million to defeat California’s GMO labeling proposition)
- Chaffin Family Orchards: Is committed to GMO-free foods and sells an assortment of goods including olive oil.
- Clif: Manufacturer of energy bars sourced “from gmo-free ingredients wherever possible” (some bars are USDA organic/GMO-free, others “contain” organic ingredients).
- Cultures for Health: All starters and products sold at Cultures for Health are GMO-free.
- Earth’s Best: Baby food manufacturer uses non-GMO ingredients. (Owned by Hain Celestial; see note* below)
- Eden Foods: the oldest independent organic food producer in the U.S. makes a wide variety of organic, GMO-free products including soy milk; fruit juices; whole grains and flours; dried fruit, nut, seeds and snacks; canned and jarred tomatoes and sauces; canned beans (black, kidney, navy, pinto, garbanzo and cannellini); canned chili; fruit spreads and butters; condiments including soy sauce, sweeteners, oils, vinegars, spices and herbs; and a wide variety of traditional Japanese products from crackers and mochi, to miso and sea vegetables. Back in 1997, an independent test by the New York Times looking for traces of GMOs in 11 soy and corn-based products found Eden’s milk to be the only product that tested clean, a finding that Eden Foods attributed to their extensive certification and testing program.
- Fantastic Foods: Provider of hummus, falafel, risotto couscous, soup and other mixes with gmo-free ingredients.
- French Meadow Bakery: Manufacturer of bread and baked goods using non-gmo ingredients.
- Garden of Eatin: Manufacturer of chips, salsas and other snack foods. (Owned by Hain Celestial; see note* below)
- Genisoy: see note* below
- Grindstone Bakery: GMO-free provider of wheat- and gluten-free bread.
- Healthy Times: Baby food manufacturer uses non-gmo ingredients.
- Honest Tea / Honest Ade / Honest Fizz / Honest Kids Fruit juice: packaged and bottled USDA Organic (which means non-GMO) fruit juices, fruit-ades, carbonated beverages and blended tea drinks (Owned by the Coca Cola Co. who donated $1.7 million to defeat California’s GMO labeling proposition)
- Imagine Foods: GMO-free provider of soy and rice milk as well as broth and other foods. (Owned by Hain Celestial; see note* below)
- Kettle Chips: GMO-free manufacturer of potato and tortilla chips. (Owned by Diamond Foods.)
- Late July: family-owned GMO-free manufacturer of organic snacks including chips, saltine crackers, sandwich crackers, cookies, and sandwich cookies (think healthy Oreos!).
- Lundberg Family Farms: GMO-free provider of rice and wild rice foods including raw rice, soups and convenience foods.
- Muir Glen: Source of canned tomato sauces, other goods, and vegetable juice using gmo-free foods. (Owned by Cascadian Farms / General Mills, who donated $1.13 million to defeat California’s GMO labeling proposition).
- Natural Choice Foods: GMO-free roviders of frozen dessert products.
- Nature’s Choice: the in-house label for the Giant food store chain (located in the U.S. states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.). Note: unless these products are marked USDA Organic, they are not likely GMO-free.
- Nature’s Path: Manufacturer of cereals and snack bars made with ingredients sourced gmo-free.
- Outta the Park: GMO-free barbecue sauce.
- Pamela’s Products: Provider of luscious gluten-free baking mixes using non-GMO ingredients.
- Purity Foods: GMO-free makers of spelt-based noodles, snacks and other goodies.
- Que Pasa: Manufacturer of tortilla chips and other Mexican foods sourced from non-gmo ingredients.
- Pure Indian Foods: GMO-free provider of grass-fed ghee.
- Rapunzel: My all-time favorite chocolate company. They also sell speciality oils.
- Rudi’s Bakery: USDA Certified organic (= GMO free) and gluten-free breads.
- San J: GMO-free manufacturer of soy sauce, shoyu and tamari.
- Santa Cruz Organic Juices: GMO-free manufacturer of lemonade, fruit juice, carbonated beverages, apple sauce, peanut butter, and chocolate syrup (owned by J. M. Smucker, who donated $485k to defeat California’s GMO labeling proposition).
- Silk: Non-GMO-Project certified soy milk. (ironically they’re owned by Dean Foods, one of the biggest opponents of GMO labeling, having donated $254k to defeat California’s GMO labeling proposition)
- SOL Cuisine: Non-GMO Project certified tofu, veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie ribs, falafel, veggie burger dry mix, veggie crumbles and more, including soy-free options.
- Spectrum Oils: GMO-free manufacturer of speciality oils, cooking oils, salad oils and natural shortening. (Owned by Hain Celestial*.)
- Sunshine Burger: the first Non-GMO Project certified veggie burger in the U.S. Products include vegan and soy-free options.
- Thai Kitchen: Source for coconut milks and Asian ingredients sources gmo-free ingredients.
- Tinkyada: Manufacturer of gluten-free brown rice pasta made from GMO-free rice.
- To Your Health: Provider of gmo-free sprouted breads and sprouted flours.
- Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s insists that all Trader Joe’s branded products are sourced from GMO free ingredients. However many consumer groups are not convinced, because Trader Joe’s claims are not backed by a third party auditing mechanism, and they do not reveal all of their sources. Read more here.
- Tradition Miso: Manufacturer of miso pastes that are made from GMO-free ingredients.
- Uncle Matt’s Organic: USDA Organic (which means GMO-free) fresh fruit juices without added fragrance or flavor packs.
- US Wellness Meats: Provider of pasture- and grass-fed meats free of GMO supplemental feed.
- Vitasoy: Manufacturer of soy-based foods sourced from gmo-free ingredients.
- Walkers: Provider of the best shortbread cookies ever as well as other sweet treats.
- White Wave: Manufacturer of soy products including tofu and tempeh using gmo-free soy. (Owned by Dean Foods, who donated $254k to defeat California’s GMO labeling proposition)
- Whole Foods Store Brands: Whole foods has made the commitment to sourcing its “365″ brand products from GMO-free ingredients. Note: a recent Cornucopia Report claims to have found more than 50% GMO corn in Whole Foods’ 365 brand cornflakes.
- Wisconsin Healthy Grown Potatoes: GMO-free potatoes.
- Zukay: Provider of live cultured condiments and salsa free from GMO.
Gluten-Free / GMO-Free Flour
Gluten Free Vegan Mom has compiled an excellent resource of non-GMO, gluten free flours. Check out her list here >
Certified Organic and Grass-Fed Meat
There are plenty of ranches raising grass-fed meat in the U.S., however only a few have certified organic (pesticide free) pastures, and many do not mention whether they avoid hormones, antibiotics, and feed 100% grass (versus finished with GMO feed). We are slowly compiling an ever-growing list of those that do:
- Alderspring Ranch: this range ships their meat all around the nation; their free range cattle are raised by a family on their own Idaho ranch.
- Beyond Organic Grass Fed Beef: California ranch shipping all around the nation via Fed-Ex (or free shipping within San Luis Obispo county); doubly organic certified and 100% grass fed beef.
- Cross Island Farms: located on Wellesley Island in northern New York, this family-run farm raises beef, pork and goat but only for local pick-up.
- Long Valley Ranch Beef: Oregon source for 100% grass pasture-raised beef without antibiotics, hormones, or animal byproducts.
- Novy Ranches at the foot of Mt. Shasta, California: one of our blog readers shared this “trusted source of 100% grass fed, pastured, non-GMO raised beef (see the related comment below this post).
- Polyface Farms: if you live in or near the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, you are lucky enough to visit one of the nation’s foremost pioneers in organic, grass-fed meat. Their beef, pork, poultry and rabbits are for sale by in-person pick up only.
- Pride and Joy Dairy: Spokane area ranch providing Seattle area with 100% organic products including raw unpasteurized and unhomogenized cow’s milk, beef, and lamb, all fed an entirely GMO-free diet.
- Rocky Mountain Organic Meats: USDA organic and grass-fed beef and lamb, shipped frozen around the U.S.
- Skagit River Ranch: Sedro-Woolley, Washington ranch providing certified organic (= GMO free) grass-fed beef and eggs, as well as pastured chicken and pork that are fed certified organic (= GMO free) whole grains milled on-site.
If you know of a brand or a ranch that should be on this list, please leave a comment below!
If you have a question about a certain product or brand that is not listed, please call the company and ask them, or leave a comment below and we’ll do the digging for you.
Remember: one of the best ways to raise awareness among the food corporations is to voice your concerns directly to them and boycott companies who continue to source ingredients from genetically modified sources.
* About Genisoy
As of May 2013, Genisoy’s website claims their products are “made with” GMO-free soybeans. There is no longer any mention of certification; “made with” is an open labeling term (versus 100%); and a blog reader reported that his last on-line purchase of their soymilk was no longer labeled as non-GMO since Genisoy was purchased by Downright Healthy Foods L.P. & WorldPantry.com®, Inc.
* About Hain Celestial
Hain Celestial is a huge food corporation that has slowly collected a number of organic brands under its umbrella. They were partially owned by Nestlé for a few years, and had a former product development agreement with Cargill (the “quiet giant that rules the food business”). However there is currently no evidence to show any alliance with “dirty” food corporations, negative ethics, or GMO issues, and to their credit, they did not join the long list of other huge food corporations that united with Monsanto to oppose California’s GMO Labeling proposition (though you could argue they didn’t contribute towards the support of the proposition either).
The only questionable information that can be cited about Hain is that when they are asked about the canola oil used in their chips, they have a carefully scripted answer that says they cannot guarantee their products are GMO free. Keep in mind however, even the Non-GMO Project uses a similar statement about their certified products. Despite a relatively clean records, there are many who choose not to purchase organic brands owned by Hain Celestial, simply on the basis of their distrust over large food corporations.
For Additional Recommendations about Avoiding GMOs…
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Thank you for the list. This is extremely helpful
You are most welcome!
Garden of Eatin is under Hain Celelstial, which I believe is a company that pretends they are trying to GMO free, when they are one of the mega-corporations in food, that mostly want profit over anything else. They have a carefully scripted answers to questions about their chips, which are made with canola oil, to make it seem like they are concerned but in reality are saying that they cannot guarantee their products are GM) free.
The Garden of Eatin brand of Red Hot Blues is labeled No GMO’s. If they can’t guarantee that, are they still allowed to label it as such? Those are my favorite chip to serve up. So, I will be completely heartbroken (and angry) if I have been misled. How do we know then?
Until the US catches up with the rest of the world in labeling GMOs, our best defense is to be as educated as possible. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t being truthful, but when a company doesn’t want to disclose facts, doubt naturally arises. Canola is one of the top GM crops grown in this country, along with corn and soy. Another example of disclosure doubt is Trader Joe’s, who continues to be unwilling to release the sources of their organic products (unless and until one of the products gets recalled, as in the case of peanut butter recently).
If you have time, try contacting someone at Garden of Eatin directly by phone. Explain the disclaimer you’ve read about. See if you get the same “careful response” that our other reader did. Perhaps this is just their attorneys trying to cover every possible scenario, including potential field contamination of otherwise GMO-free canola oil… which is certainly possible even on an organic farm.
Calamar, you are correct about them being one of the food mega-corporations. And I hear you loud and clear about them not providing direct answers.
While I am not standing up for what they are doing, I will say that it is nigh impossible to guarantee any product is GMO free… even the Non-GMO Product Certification process’s goal is to “reduce the risk of GMO contamination” and their website says directly that its label does not guarantee that a product is 100% GMO-free, because contamination is an ever-growing threat.
In short, we set up parameters, we develop certification processes, we demand labeling, and we pray that this catches the majority of the problem. Thanks so much for your comment!
Barbara’s also will not say they are Gmo free.
Thanks for letting me know… I’ve just checked their website and it’s true, all mention of GMO (whether included or not) has been removed. Have you tried contacting them directly?
Please look at this chart and you will see that most of the above companies are owned by larger corporations who support monsanto financially.
http://gmoawareness.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/corporate-organic-brands2.jpg
Sad world, but true. When you buy these products, you are basically giving monsanto your money.
I appreciate your comment, but I’d like to encourage you to read a little more carefully.
The companies listed above are NOT “owned by major food corporations who support Monsanto financially.” Let me address your comments individually. 1) The above list highlights (in red) 4 companies that are owned by major food corporations. Those four *parent* companies donated to fight California’s GMO Labeling proposition, which I do agree is supporting Monsanto’s goals, but not supporting Monsanto financially. 
2) The chart you reference is taken from my blog’s resource page called “Corporate Owned Organics,” which provides a complete list of organic brands currently owned by major corporations (some of which donated to fight California’s GMO Labeling proposition, but again, they do not support Monsanto financially). 3) Look carefully at the chart, as a few of the ownerships have changed since the chart was created a few years ago. One of these changes is Hain Foods… who was partially owned for a few years by Nestlé, and had a product development relationship with Cargill. Hain is the only remaining question in all of our minds, as stated in my Hain note above. Although they did not donate to fight California’s GMO Labeling proposition, for my own part, I’m keeping a close eye on them. 
I have a hard time finding non gmo coffee and non gmo white rice. If anyone uses these products please email me. Thanks
Monica, as listed above, Lundberg Family Farms offers non-gmo white rice. Here is a direct link to their product page: http://www.lundberg.com/Products/Rice.aspx. If you can not find the product in your local store, I have a list of online shopping websites here: http://gmo-awareness.com/shopping-list/online-organic-shopping/
As for non-GMO coffee, if you buy USDA Organic coffee, by USDA standards, it is required to be non-GMO.
Last but not least, this website will help you find products that have been certified by the Non-GMO Project: http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/
I’m new to this, but I thought rice was not a genetically modified crop? Do I still need to worry about making sure my rice is organic?
Well Megan, at the moment there is no GMO rice in the stores that I know of, but there are all sorts of genetically modified rice strains being grown (out in the open no less); take a look at the link to a database that lets you look up what GMO crops are being tested on a state by state basis (as posted on my Facebook last year): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=387582661330570&set=pb.116246468464192.-2207520000.1362123258&type=3&theater Remember too, organic products are grown with far less pesticides (and a whole bunch of other ecologically worthy methods).
Thank you so much! With one child with a rare disease involving food intolerances and another with 15+ food allergies (and no family history of allergies on either side) I am quickly becoming passionate about this subject and wholeheartedly believe our food supply is the reason for my children’s illnesses. I am so happy to find your website and have linked it on my Facebook group I just started for avoiding GMO’s. Thank you for all you do! I may be bugging you on occasion with other questions…
You are so welcome! I truly believe that moms of kids with allergies will become the force that turns the tide of food in our country. Nothing comes between a mother and protecting her children! And hooray for you raising more awareness!!! If you have’t heard of them yet, check out the Moms Across America group. And feel free to send me a private FB message so I can cross-post about your page too. <3 More questions always welcome!
Thank you for this list. Over the last 2 months I have completely changed the way I shop for my families food and it can be a bit overwhelming. I am wondering though why Trader Joe’s is not on your list of GMO free. It was my understanding that the Trader Joe Brand, even though not labeled, were GMO free.
You are most welcome! Trader Joe’s is mentioned in this same Shopping section, on the main page: Shopping List. The reason I was not giving as much “coverage” to Trader Joe’s is probably best described in a blog post I wrote not too long ago, which you can read here. But since this topic keeps coming up, I’ll go ahead and add them with a link to read more / decide for yourself.
Trader Joes makes a guarantee that all of their ‘Trader Joes’ label products are GMO free. Publix ‘Greenwise’ is organic as well, are their products GMO free? Also, Late July Organics?
Ah, good catch on Late July! I have them included on my ‘Family Organics’ page but forgot to add them here, thanks! As per my above reply to Laura, Trader Joe’s is mentioned in this same Shopping section, on the main page: Shopping List. The reason I was not giving as much “coverage” to Trader Joe’s is probably best described in a blog post I wrote not too long ago, which you can read here. But since this topic keeps coming up, I’ll go ahead and add them with a link to read more / decide for yourself.
Please check out Novy Ranches in Simi Valley Ca. I get all my beef from them. I trust the Novy and have spoken to him in person many times. Here is his link:
http://www.novyranches.com/our_cattle.htm
I am taking a big chance on providing his info. I do not want to lose my meat connection but I also care about my fellow Americans so I am releasing my one and only trusted source of 100% grass fed, pastured, non-GMO raised beef. I hope I am not shooting myself in the foot. We need more people like Mr. Novy. Novy Ranches are at the foot of Mt. Shasta, California. This rancher has taken on the EPA and fought off thier ridiculous b.s. of trying to shut down another healthy anti-CAFO farmer. Support this man and his cause.
You are so kind to share this. I’ve added them to the growing list above, thank you!!!
Organic Valley is gmo free
Do you have any information on Nature’s Promise? I shop at Giant food stores and the majority of the products available in the organic section are from Nature’s Promise. Some of the labels have certified USDA organic, but others do not.
Deb, the USDA Organic label is your surest bet of GMO-free. I honestly had not heard of this brand; it appears to be the “in-house label” for the Giant food store chain (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and DC area) — thanks for bringing this to my attention! In looking at their website, — http://www.giantfood.com/our_stores/offerings/brands/index.htm?brnd=NATURE_PROMISE — it says a lot of good things, but it does not mention GMOs (probably because they are difficult to eradicate from food processing unless the process is entirely USDA Organic), so if it was me, I’d choose their USDA Organic products wherever possible.
Bullcrap…. do NOT trust the USDA organic label. better look for the non-GMO Project label. Why the hail would you trust the USDA, the agency responsible for hiding the studies that prove GMO’s are extremely bad for you?? NEVER trust the USDA, FDA, EPA and CDC, just to name a few. Foods that have been tested by Independent or third party testing companies are the ONLY foods you can trust, unless you take the time and money to attend about 8 college courses and start testing yourself, which is really not too difficult, and being made easier all time by new innovations from German and Austrian scientists. We do not use fluoride-free toothpaste from a company that also produces toothpaste with fluoride in it. Either they understand that fluoride, like GMO’s is poison to the body and stand behind that statement or they do not.
Tom’s toothpaste makes fluoride-free and fluoridated toothpaste. When I called them and asked them why they made a brand WITH fluoride, they stated that they had customers that wanted fluoride in their toothpaste, so clearly it is about money in their pockets and NOT the health of the human race therefore we will NEVER purchase a product from a company that sells out our health for a few dollars. These people can EASILY be bought out and in our opinion, ARE. It takes the USDA and the FDA YEARS between testing for GMO’s in any given product and they routinely are busting companies that are either misleading their customers or straight out lying. The FDA and USDA really could not give a sh*t. The only reason they bust them is because they can fine the holy shish out of them, thereby making more money to help them push their poison food agenda that is being handed down to them by their Satanic masters at Monsanto, Searles, Bayer, Dupont, Dow and others. BE AWARE.. there is SO much more going on here that most would even WANT to know about, which is why so many people do not even want to admit to the corruption, they just want to remain ignorant and stupid about everything, sheep in the fold.
I can tell you this, the Back to Nature brand you see in so many stores AND Whole Foods is the Kraft brand, which pushes GMO in ALL thier foods so the “Nature” part is a play on words and means absolutely nothing. As for Natures Promise, if they are on the menu at greenpolkadotbox.com, then they are legit. I cannot find them on this website or on the non-GMO project website either. Buy “Nature’s Path” instead. If they want to come out and put GMO-FREE well then you may consider them but read up online to see what others are saying about it.
Hi All– I noticed Cascadian Farms is on the list of ok to buy– however– I also just got a list of Monsanto owned companies…. and Monsanto apparently owns General Mills???? So just wanted to give you a heads up — that while you are not directly supporting GMO’s you are still supporting the propagator of GMO’s and pestisides. Also — my Giant food store has organic Sugar from Domino Sugar– it has the USDA label on it… Yay!
Deb, thanks for writing.
Monsanto does not “own” any companies; though I too have seen this misleading information circulating around.
The confusion arose when General Mills teamed up with Monsanto (and several other major food manufacturers, get the details here at the bottom of this website page) to defeat California’s GMO Labeling Proposition 37 last year.
Please read the text at the top of this page, particularly “Note #2″, and reference all of the companies that are shown in red-highlighted text… this indicates the types of companies that were supporters of (though not owned by) Monsanto in that vote.
Giant Foods is listed above under “Nature’s Way” (their in-house organic/natural brand; though I personally would still default to choosing USDA Organic-labeled products as you are doing).
Last but not least, this blog also has a list of “family owned” organic brands, which exclude all those Monsanto-supporting corporate brands. You can find that on this page.
Keep up the great effort!
Thanks for the information… the politics around this issue make it difficult to navigate. I have opted AGAINST joining march or protests ‘against’ anything… and focus my energy on voting with my dollar –per se. Do you know if organic farms have access to the same farm subsidies that the larger scale corporate farms have? My local farm share is fairly reasonably prices, however it only runs 25 weeks of the year–and they can’t grow corn due to all of the larger corporate owned farms in the area.
Why is it that Eden foods is the only company that I am aware of, packaging without BPA. I wish more organic companies would follow Eden foods.
Are Genisoy soy products still non-GMO? I’ve been using their protein powder for years but my last purchase from my usual online source is no longer labeled as non-GMO. Apparently the company is under new ownership; Downright Healthy Foods LLP based in Canada. I’ve tried three times (by phone and email) to contact the company and confirm Genisoy’s non-GMO status but can’t get a response.
Jim, that’s a good question. Their website still claims that they use non-GMO soy, but if the label has been removed, that may be the first sign of a change, as the result of their new ownership. A very similar thing happened with Silk Soymilk… when Dean Foods bought them out, they quietly changed the “organic” banner at the top of their carton to the word “natural” to enable them to begin sourcing lesser expensive (and non-organic) soybeans. Few people noticed until the Cornucopia Institute brought it to light. Personally, I would only buy soymilk that has the USDA Organic label on it (since USDA Organic disallows GMOs) and/or has the Non-GMO Project certified label on it. You can read more about Organic/Non-GMO Labeling on this page.
I suspected as much when no one returned my phone calls. After going back and double checking the product labels, I found that the new version lists canola oil as the second main ingredient where the original listed only soy protein isolate. That’s more than enough red flags for me. Thanks for the input and I’ll start looking for another source that’s labeled as both certified organic and non-GMO.