Author Topic: THERE ARE NO GM ORANGES – SO WHY IS TROPICANA DECEIVING CONSUMERS WITH NON-GMO L  (Read 3845 times)

Millet

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Some companies market their food product as “non-GMO” to create a nonexistent distinction that gives them a competitive advantage (sometimes at a premium price). For example, Tropicana Orange Juice includes the “Non-GMO Project” seal on its package, yet its sole ingredient is oranges, and there are no commercially grown, genetically engineered oranges. Every brand of orange juice is naturally “non-GMO,” provided the only ingredient is oranges.

https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/04/21/no-gm-oranges-tropicana-deceiving-consumers-non-gmo-label/#.WPpNlkqWIip.twitter


fyliu

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Short version: It's all a scam!

It's what people like me get for saying "if producers won't label their GMO, then the non-GMO producers could label all the non-GMOs". Of course the current labeling just makes everything sound "healthier" than they are. The confusion creates a temporary advantage for certain companies until everybody has the label. It's why I've always felt the Organic and non-GMO stuff are scams. They have to pay somebody in order to use those labels, right?

brian

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Yup, its just like gluten-free labelling on things that would never contain gluten.  Marketing.

I think its hilarious that citrus is often non-vegetarian, the wax coating may be made from crushed lac beetles (shellac)

No, I don't think they have to pay for non-GMO label, but they do pay to be USDA certified organic. 

fruitlovers

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Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2017, 06:07:59 PM by fruitlovers »
Oscar

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Actually, there are GMO Oranges.

https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/11/16/epa-approves-field-trials-of-disease-resistant-gmo-citrus-trees/

http://flcitrusmutual.com/files/9172d658-ec9d-45c7-9.pdf

Looks like 2019, if things go well, we could get HLB resistance from Spinach, of all things.


fruitlovers

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Actually, there are GMO Oranges.

https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/11/16/epa-approves-field-trials-of-disease-resistant-gmo-citrus-trees/

http://flcitrusmutual.com/files/9172d658-ec9d-45c7-9.pdf

Looks like 2019, if things go well, we could get HLB resistance from Spinach, of all things.
Field trial is not the same as having a crop commercially produced and commercially available. So the labeling is still is misleading.
This from your first link:
If this testing process goes well and Southern Gardens wants to plant a commercial crop, the company will be required to get approval from the EPA and the USDA. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has an optional approval process for GMO foods.
Oscar

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I fully agree with you and OP that GMO oranges aren't available now and that this is nothing more than a marketing spin - I just wanted to put the info up, especially that .pdf file as its got some good stuff on GMO Oranges.

Millet

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baccarat0809 yes but there is no GMO citrus sold, either on the commercial or private market.  As far as I am personally concerned I don't care if a product is GMO or not.

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I am surprised the non-GMO movement hasn't expanded to non-genetically mutated organisms. This would apply to citrus like Tango mandarin, Ruby Red / Rio Red grapefruit, etc. that have been irradiated to induce seedlessness. I don't see a whole lot of difference between the two so it is interesting that there are a whole lot of mutated organisms out there, especially grains. Many of these are found in organic products. So many contradictory perceptions out there.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2017, 09:25:55 PM by Badfish8696 »

CA Hockey

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Not quite true.  phytosterols are plant based sources of cholesterol and it is possible to have a phytosterolemia (too much phytosterols in the body).

:-)

-K



Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.

Millet

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A Florida nursery, Southern Gardens Citrus Nursery, is proposing the release of a GM virus, Citrus tristeza virus, which has been engineered to express bacteria-fighting proteins found in spinach. The GM virus, which has been undergoing controlled field tests since 2010, would be grafted -- not sprayed -- onto citrus trees in Florida. USDA has announced its intent to launch an environmental impact statement on Southern Garden's proposal

fruitlovers

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Not quite true.  phytosterols are plant based sources of cholesterol and it is possible to have a phytosterolemia (too much phytosterols in the body).

:-)

-K



Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.
Similar is not the same as. And note that all the products say "no cholesterol", they don't ever say "no phytosterol". Usually phytosterol is claimed to lower cholesterol. From wikipedia:
The European Foods Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that blood cholesterol can be reduced on average by 7 to 10.5% if a person consumes 1.5 to 2.4 grams of plant sterols and stanols per day, an effect usually established within 2–3 weeks. Longer-term studies extending up to 85 weeks showed that the cholesterol-lowering effect could be sustained.[9] Based on this and other efficacy data, the EFSA scientific panel provided the following health advisory: “Plant sterols have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease".
Oscar

CA Hockey

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Hi Oscar

Thanks for looking into that. I would have to say however that the interpretation is misleading. Phytosterols are a sterol compound chemically very similar to cholesterol, so similar in fact that they can lower intestinal absorption of dietary cholesterol by competing for the same receptors. In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a lot of excitement about phytosterols as a means to reduce ldl cholesterol. However, the more recent work has suggested that excess phytosterols, at least in some people, have resulted in an increased risk of coronary artery disease (basically the same thing that ldl cholesterol does; it is just not as efficient at causing the same buildup). Even at relatively low doses, though, phytosterols that are not deposited in vessel walls are still metabolized into bike salts. If someone has or is prone to gallstones (hardened accretions of bile salts and other liver excretions) then metabolized phytosterols will add to this underlying predisposition. Patients with phytosterolemia experience these symptoms because they absorb phytosterols at an increased rate and are unable to rapidly excrete them, allowing their bodies to treat them as other forms of cholesterol (and unfortunate for us it does not act like hdlbit rather can build up like ldl).






Not quite true.  phytosterols are plant based sources of cholesterol and it is possible to have a phytosterolemia (too much phytosterols in the body).

:-)

-K



Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.
Similar is not the same as. And note that all the products say "no cholesterol", they don't ever say "no phytosterol". Usually phytosterol is claimed to lower cholesterol. From wikipedia:
The European Foods Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that blood cholesterol can be reduced on average by 7 to 10.5% if a person consumes 1.5 to 2.4 grams of plant sterols and stanols per day, an effect usually established within 2–3 weeks. Longer-term studies extending up to 85 weeks showed that the cholesterol-lowering effect could be sustained.[9] Based on this and other efficacy data, the EFSA scientific panel provided the following health advisory: “Plant sterols have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease".

fruitlovers

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Hi Oscar

Thanks for looking into that. I would have to say however that the interpretation is misleading. Phytosterols are a sterol compound chemically very similar to cholesterol, so similar in fact that they can lower intestinal absorption of dietary cholesterol by competing for the same receptors. In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a lot of excitement about phytosterols as a means to reduce ldl cholesterol. However, the more recent work has suggested that excess phytosterols, at least in some people, have resulted in an increased risk of coronary artery disease (basically the same thing that ldl cholesterol does; it is just not as efficient at causing the same buildup). Even at relatively low doses, though, phytosterols that are not deposited in vessel walls are still metabolized into bike salts. If someone has or is prone to gallstones (hardened accretions of bile salts and other liver excretions) then metabolized phytosterols will add to this underlying predisposition. Patients with phytosterolemia experience these symptoms because they absorb phytosterols at an increased rate and are unable to rapidly excrete them, allowing their bodies to treat them as other forms of cholesterol (and unfortunate for us it does not act like hdlbit rather can build up like ldl).






Not quite true.  phytosterols are plant based sources of cholesterol and it is possible to have a phytosterolemia (too much phytosterols in the body).

:-)

-K



Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.
Similar is not the same as. And note that all the products say "no cholesterol", they don't ever say "no phytosterol". Usually phytosterol is claimed to lower cholesterol. From wikipedia:
The European Foods Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that blood cholesterol can be reduced on average by 7 to 10.5% if a person consumes 1.5 to 2.4 grams of plant sterols and stanols per day, an effect usually established within 2–3 weeks. Longer-term studies extending up to 85 weeks showed that the cholesterol-lowering effect could be sustained.[9] Based on this and other efficacy data, the EFSA scientific panel provided the following health advisory: “Plant sterols have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease".
Thanks for the info. Are you a doctor? Where is this info coming from?
Oscar

Citradia

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Well, all I have to say is if the scientists want to GMO spinach into citrus to save the citrus species, Go For It! I doubt mixing spinach with citrus will make us sick.

CA Hockey

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I am - which is why the phytosterolemia stuck with me (I've seen 1 case). I am not however a cardiologist, lipid specialist, or a general practitioner who deals with cholesterol.

I would like to say that Oscar is correct -- phytosterols are not cholesterol . Cholesterol is an animal product. I posted (a little hastily it turns out) because I wanted to point out that phytosterols (the plant equivalent of cholesterol) is not entirely benign. The data is mixed; It is not clear cut. I offer my opinion below -take it for what it's worth :-)

Sources: I read a couple of sources on pubmed (can't find those specific ones now) but am linking to another with full article access from a decent journal.  Their results suggest phytosterols are normally protective, and they give good background explanation of the mixed history of this field and list those sources that argue against phytosterols being entirely good for you (articles 9-12, 26-29). One of the big studies they mention (the Framingham study) is one that has shaped US treatment strategies for multiple cardiac conditions.

The most interesting source I came across is the one where phytosterols were found in the vessel wall plaques that were removed during surgery. My personal opinion is that they are probably more beneficial than harmful because they outcompete cholesterol ... but because of their chemical similarity to cholesterol (they are the plant equivalents) the body can substitute it for cholesterol when and if it is available (turns out that is the trick - most people can get rid of phytosterols faster than most of it can be used, by it looks like at least some of it is still trapped in plaques etc). They are not entirely benign.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817591/#!po=50.0000



Hi Oscar

Thanks for looking into that. I would have to say however that the interpretation is misleading. Phytosterols are a sterol compound chemically very similar to cholesterol, so similar in fact that they can lower intestinal absorption of dietary cholesterol by competing for the same receptors. In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a lot of excitement about phytosterols as a means to reduce ldl cholesterol. However, the more recent work has suggested that excess phytosterols, at least in some people, have resulted in an increased risk of coronary artery disease (basically the same thing that ldl cholesterol does; it is just not as efficient at causing the same buildup). Even at relatively low doses, though, phytosterols that are not deposited in vessel walls are still metabolized into bike salts. If someone has or is prone to gallstones (hardened accretions of bile salts and other liver excretions) then metabolized phytosterols will add to this underlying predisposition. Patients with phytosterolemia experience these symptoms because they absorb phytosterols at an increased rate and are unable to rapidly excrete them, allowing their bodies to treat them as other forms of cholesterol (and unfortunate for us it does not act like hdlbit rather can build up like ldl).






Not quite true.  phytosterols are plant based sources of cholesterol and it is possible to have a phytosterolemia (too much phytosterols in the body).

:-)

-K



Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.
Similar is not the same as. And note that all the products say "no cholesterol", they don't ever say "no phytosterol". Usually phytosterol is claimed to lower cholesterol. From wikipedia:
The European Foods Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that blood cholesterol can be reduced on average by 7 to 10.5% if a person consumes 1.5 to 2.4 grams of plant sterols and stanols per day, an effect usually established within 2–3 weeks. Longer-term studies extending up to 85 weeks showed that the cholesterol-lowering effect could be sustained.[9] Based on this and other efficacy data, the EFSA scientific panel provided the following health advisory: “Plant sterols have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease".
Thanks for the info. Are you a doctor? Where is this info coming from?
« Last Edit: April 27, 2017, 11:27:56 PM by CA Hockey »