The Center for Food Safety today launched a new mobile application that will help shoppers to quickly and easily identify foods made with ingredients from genetically modified (GM) organisms.  The free app, “The Center for Food Safety’s True Food Shoppers Guide”, is available for mobile devices through iTunes and Android Market. 

Today, thousands of products on supermarket shelves are made with ingredients from genetically modified (also known as genetically engineered [GE]) crops. But GM foods are not labeled in the U.S., despite warnings from doctors and scientists that these foods may not be safe in the diet or the environment. This lack of mandatory labeling can make it difficult to determine which products are made with GM ingredients and which are not. The new application is designed to give health-and-safety-conscious consumers who wish to avoid GM ingredients the tools they need to make informed purchasing decisions.

The True Food Shoppers Guide also arms consumers with valuable information regarding common GM ingredients, as well as brands to look for, and to look out for. The application includes a “Four Simple Tips” section, which offers easy ways to avoid GM ingredients as they shop to feed themselves and their families, a “Supermarkets and GMOs” section to help consumers identify GM and non-GMO private-label store brands, and a rbGH and rbGH-free dairy guide. Check out this video review of the app on livingmaxwell.com.

The app is available for freeon iTunes for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and in the Android Market by searching for “True Food.”

 In addition to a list of brands that produce foods with no GM content, the application also offers contact information for companies that do use GM ingredients. This feature enables consumers to personally voice their opposition to the use of GM foods directly to the parties involved. As a result, the app serves not only as a shopping guide and teaching tool, but one that can be used for widespread advocacy as well.  The app also has a “Take Action” section allowing people to contact state and federal agencies and officials to demand better regulatory oversight, safety testing and labeling laws for GM foods and crops.

The Center for Food Safety’s True Food Shoppers Guide was compiled because you have the right to know what’s in your food!

Don’t have a compatible mobile phone? Download our printable Shoppers Guide instead! We are also working on a web-based version of the App that can be accessed from any smart phone. We hope to launch a Blackberry app in the future as well.

We compiled the Shoppers Guide primarily from direct communications with food producers. In some cases, we received company policy statements from consumers who passed these on to us. In addition to written statements, we spoke to many company representatives to clarify or assess their position. Products on the RED list contain ingredients that come from the most common GE crops (corn, soy, canola, cotton). Companies with products on this list have confirmed that their products may have or are likely to be made with GE ingredients, or have not denied using GE foods when given the opportunity to do so. Companies on the GREEN list have made a concerted effort to avoid GE ingredients and have company policies asserting their position on avoiding GE foods.

Features

• Our “Four Simple Tips” section gives you easy ways to avoid genetically modified ingredients in any product
• “What’s New” brings you an always-updated feed of the Center for Food Safety’s latest news and campaign developments on GMOs and other important food issues. You can even share these articles and announcement with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and more, right from the app!
• Our “Action” center brings you our latest action alerts on simple things you can do to demand True Food!
• “Supermarkets and GMOs” lists major supermarket chains across the US and their policies on GMOs and rbGH use. Here you can find non-gmo and rbGH-free store brands, and supermarkets that are entirely non-gmo in their private-label brands!
• You can browse the Shoppers Guide by category (16 categories in all) in a simple “Green” and “Red” list format, or search for products by brand name or food type
• The Shoppers Guide also includes the ability to call or email companies listed in the “Red” (those who do not avoid GM ingredients in their products) to let them know you will not buy their products until they drop GMOs
• Learn about the risks of gm crops and foods, the benefits of and where to buy organics, gm crops in development, rbGH, and more in “More Info”
• Join the CFS True Food Network or our new Mobile Activists list and get updates and action alerts on the most pressing food issues via email or text message! We are over 100,000 members strong, and growing. Add your voice!
• Connect with the CFS True Food Network on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube