At WholeSoy, we believe that living sustainably is a journey and not a destination. Earth day may be behind us now but we can continue to share and learn how we can all take steps toward a more sustainable future. Keep reading for some of the ways we’re trying to do our part.

Meatout began in 1985 as a grassroots diet education campaign to bring awareness to the benefits of a plant-based diet and promote meat and dairy alternatives for grocery stores, restaurants and other food service based companies. Today, hundreds of Meatout events are held annually on or around March 20th across the world. To keep the spirit alive throughout the year, Meatout Mondays have also grown in popularity and have even been adopted and encouraged by restaurants and cities like our own hometown of San Francisco, California! Keep reading for more details...

Pictured: Annoula Wylderich, Photo credit: Elaine Vigneault of Vegas Veg

Non-GMO Month in October may have already come to a close but the complex issues about GMOs continue to exist. We end Non-GMO Month with a very important long term question that needs to be addressed: Are GMOs really necessary to feed the world? Keep reading to find out why we think the answer is no.

October 2011 is the second annual Non-GMO Month and we are happy to announce that the campaign just keeps growing! This month is dedicated to promoting awareness over the concerns of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in our food systems and environment. This year several organizations have teamed up to support the labeling of GM (Genetically Modified) foods. This effort will make it easier for all of us to make educated food choices for ourselves and our families.

October is National Non-GMO Month, and October 10, 2010 was Non-GMO Day. This is part 4 of our series on the subject of GMOs. For more information, see Advocacy & Activism.

There have been countless studies showing that genetically engineered crops are not safe for us or for our environment and that they potentially threaten the future of our food chain. All of the European Union (EU), and many other countries around the world, have instituted either serious restrictions or bans on the use of GMOs. All EU countries require genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled. The story in the Unites States is very different.

October is National Non-GMO Month, and October 10, 2010 is Non-GMO Day. This is part 3 of our series on the subject of GMOs. For more information, see Advocacy & Activism.

We decided years ago to take action. We have always used organic, non-GMO soybeans and ingredients in our products, but we wanted to provide our customers with some form of third-party guarantee. In 2005, we contacted Genetic ID, the laboratory that tests for GMO contamination in food destined for Europe, where the standard is strictly regulated at less than 1%. As part of the initial process with the lab, we learned that the organic cornstarch we used could not be tested as a starch because the processing of the corn into starch did not allow for the full identity of the DNA. It turned out that the company processing our starch could not guarantee that the "organic" corn was free of GMOs. We insisted, and after three long years, this company stepped up to the plate and sourced corn from Europe. They now process the organic corn in an organic and non-GMO verified facility and then send the organic cornstarch to our manufacturing facility in California. Good news for us and our customers, but sad news about the contamination of GMOs in the US food supply.

October 2010 is the first ever Non-GMO Month. This month is dedicated to promoting the awareness of the dangers of genetically modified food. We invite you to join us in celebrating and taking action!

Here are our top 10 ways for you to participate...

October is National Non-GMO Month, and October 10, 2010 is Non-GMO Day. This is part 2 of our series on the subject of GMOs. For more information, see Advocacy & Activism.

The soybean is the most valuable source of protein and oil on our planet and is one reason why WholeSoy uses soybeans as the base ingredient in everything we make. Unfortunately, soybeans are one of the most genetically engineered crops in the world. According to the USDA, in 2009, 91% of the soybean crop in the United States was genetically modified and the numbers for cotton, corn and canola were not much different.

GMO stands for genetically modified organism and GE means genetically engineered. Modern usage of GMO actually refers to genetically engineered crops where, in a laboratory, the DNA from one organism is spliced into the genes of another organism, or even another species, to give it new or different traits. The resulting combinations are plants and animals that do not naturally exist in our environment.