How Do Non-GMO and Vegan Matter When Purchasing CBD Gummies?

The next time you’re shopping for your next CBD gummy purchase, there are two more factors that you should be looking out for: non-GMO and vegan. More companies are picking up on the fact that these two qualities matter a lot to today’s customers and are going out of their ways to ensure that customers know that their formulas check these two important boxes.

So, why then anyway, should CBD gummy edibles be non-GMO and vegan?

Non-GMO: More Important Than You Think

GMOs stand for “genetically modified organisms,” and were first developed in the 1970s before being widely utilized during the 1990s. GMOs pertain to farming products, with GMO seeds becoming a staple of today’s conventional farming throughout the United States. It developed to make farming a more cost-efficient endeavor by genetically modifying seeds so that they can grow in more predictable, consistent, and profitable ways. GMOs aim to prevent waste by giving farmers increased control over their yields, using genetic modification to secure certain desirable characteristics like size and disease-resistance.

One would assume from the above that GMOs are therefore a good thing that has advanced the world of farming. But, that’s not really the case. GMOs by definition yield unnatural crops with a genetic makeup that may not actually be in the best interest of the plant or the person who will be consuming the plant. GMOs allow farmers to make more money off of their crops, and this can be used in ways that are ultimately bad for us, such as raising larger crops at the expense of a varied nutrient density.

Farmers are not required to disclose how they genetically modify their seeds, which means that we do not actually know what it is that we’re putting into our bodies. Even small genetic modifications can dramatically alter the chemical composition of a plant, and this may not always be a good thing. It can damage specific compounds we want, making them too unstable to maintain bioavailability.

GMOs also allow farmers to use harsher pesticides and other chemicals by making plants that are resistant to their caustic nature.

Why are More People are Calling for non-GMO Hemp?

Simple. Hemp should be taken as mother nature created it, and its chemical composition is exactly why we consume the plant. Messing with the genetic code of the hemp seed can alter its chemical composition, depleting certain compounds we want including CBD, terpenes, and nutrients.

There are far more natural means for controlling the outcome of cultivating hemp from seed. Selective breeding is a process in which two parent hemp plants are bred together to ensure certain characteristics in the offspring. This is used to create new strains, and to improve the lineage of each plant so that it can maintain the quality of compounds that we’re looking for. Remember that at the end of the day, GMO crops are unnatural, and we don’t know what the effects are of taking them as those who produce them do not need to tell us how they have been altered.

Vegan Gummies: An Option for Those Who Want Zero Animal Derivatives

A growing number of people are switching over to a vegan lifestyle, for more reasons than you may think. Besides the fact that vegan products do not promote the harming of animals, producing vegan products is also better for our environment, and possibly better for our health as well.

A lot of CBD gummies are made with gelatin. Gelatin is a byproduct of animal bones, and it gives gummies their distinctive texture. The problem is that CBD gummies made with gelatin are not vegan, and therefore vegans cannot partake in enjoying them. Fortunately, an influx of companies are using pectin as an alternative to gelatin, which is a fruit derivative that provides the same delectable consistency that gummy lovers crave.

Even if you are not vegan, vegan CBD gummies can easily be viewed as superior to those made with gelatin. Again, they may be healthier for the body, and they may be beneficial to the environment in the long run. Pectin, being a fruit derivative, may offer distinctive nutritional value that gelatin cannot provide, while potentially being easier for the body to digest as well.

Non-GMO and Vegan Gummies are Simply Better for Us, Our Environment, and our Animal Friends

Fortunately, it is easier than ever before to come across high-quality CBD gummies made with non-GMO hemp, and boasting a vegan formula that uses a non-gelatin alternative. To find out whether or not a particular gummy offers these two qualities, simply look at the product description on their website. The list of ingredients can help you easily identify vegan and non-vegan ingredients, while the company should disclose whether or not they use GMO seeds.

If this information is not available for whatever reason, you can personally ask them by contacting the company, or find a brand that does offer this information – there are plenty out there with growing demand for transparency.