When you buy frozen edamame (soybeans) at the grocery store or order them at a restaurant, you can bet what you’re eating came from China, Thailand, or another East Asian country. That’s not necessarily bad, but it does mean the beans had to travel an awfully long way to reach your table, and this has economic and environmental consequences.
Unfortunately, it’s very hard to find U.S.-grown organic or Non-GMO edamame. More than 85% of soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, so we consumers don’t often have much choice when we shop.
Enter eda-zen edamame!
These frozen, shelled beans are U.S.-grown and Non-GMO Verified. They taste amazing, since the rich soil they’re grown in lends an even sweeter flavor than imported soybeans have.
The beans come cooked, which I appreciate since I’m usually preparing food in a hurry. You just microwave the beans in their BPA-free bag then sprinkle on a little sea salt (included) if you like your edamame salty.
Edamame are one of my go-to protein foods for Lucy’s lunchbox, so I was happy to find this Non-GMO Verified option.
I’ve heard American Sweet Bean Co. beans are also delicious and Non-GMO, but I’ve never seen or tried them.
Note: This is not a sponsored post. I just really like eda-zen and wanted to share this edamame option with you.
10 Comments
The Healthy Apple
October 7, 2013 at 7:23 amAwesome info, Amelia! Thanks for this great info. SO many people don’t realize that most soy is full of GMO’s. Thank you again! xoxo Have a great week.
shelley
October 7, 2013 at 2:02 pmYikes! I make an effort to eat a few servings of soybeans every week, so I’m sure I’ve been eating plenty of weird Dow/Monsanto junk. I will look for these non-GMO beans and stick to this brand from now on. Thank you!
Amelia
October 8, 2013 at 11:08 amThere are some other organic options which are non-GMO, but they’re all imported so I like these best!
masala girl
June 3, 2015 at 10:55 pm(paroozing a bit from finding vegan, haha)
I always buy organic (usually seapoint famrs) edamame and tofu, but havent thought to check the origin! I now will. I always check the origin on my produce though, haha.
Amelia Winslow
June 4, 2015 at 12:16 pmIt never used to occur to me either – especially for frozen produce since it seemed logical that it would be grown & frozen when in-season locally. But I guess that’s not how our world works these days 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Koch urs
January 8, 2017 at 11:29 amWhat makes you think GMO is bad.
Who assures you organic is what it is? ?Nobody!
All non GMO beans are sprayed with a very toxic
Cocktail of chemicals.
Also check the meaning “organic ”
What’s printed on a label means nothing.
Amelia Winslow
January 11, 2017 at 10:03 amThe term “organic” is the most highly regulated food term we have in the U.S. Every organic farm gets surprise inspections at least once/year (and these tend to last an entire day) to ensure they are adhering to organic regulations, which are strict. Getting to know and tour certain brands has shown me that some go above and beyond what organic requires, so I try to support those companies. It’s true that some claims on labels don’t mean much, but the term organic DOES mean something very specific and consumers can feel comfortable trusting that a product that says USDA Certified Organic is truly organic. Organic is by definition non-GMO, so no toxic chemicals on organic beans. As for your claim that “non-GMO beans are sprayed with a cocktail of chemicals,” I’d need to see evidence.
Ethan
January 3, 2018 at 1:49 pmeasy. Organic doesn’t refer to the chemicals put on the produce it refers to the methods of growing. Organic just means they cannot be lab developed or use any lab derived pesticides. This means that most organic producers use around 20 different pesticides very commonly, such as every week or two. the amount of these pesticides are not government regulated as long as they conform to certain standards of not being lab derived such as round up. this means that they use fungicides that are highly poisonous like heavy metal copper derivatives or until recently Rotenone which we now know is really bad for you as it destroys cell mitochondria. But it is organic. See organic pesticides are still very bad for you but they are much less regulated than GM pesticides. This is because lab derived pesticides have to go through years of screening before they can be used while organic ones are generally older and not viewed as being nearly as dangerous despite evidence to the contrary in several cases. That doesn’t even go into the fact that during routine testing of thousands of farms they still find lab derived pesticides on organic produce. one surprise inspection wont solve that problem. The fact is there has never been a proven link between GM produce and long term health effects in the negative nor do they taste or give different vitamin intakes. This also avoids problems such as organic fertilizer which have resulted in 10% of tested organic producers to be tested positive for e.coli outbreaks while only 1% of conventional ones have had this problem.
Its not bad to want to try to find a better way for your family but organic produce is a terrible way to do it. organic produce uses more land, more water, and has more health risks than GM produce just because of how people refuse to take science at its word. You are right. organic means something very specific in the united states but that very specific nature means you are blinding yourself to everything that goes into the product while only focusing on the product itself.
oh and by the way no, organic does not mean no toxic chemicals go into the beans. That isn’t what organic means at all. All pesticides are toxic. All farming uses pesticides. If a farmer tells you they don’t use pesticides they are lying to you.
Amelia Winslow
January 10, 2018 at 10:26 amHi Ethan,
Looks like we are each referencing different “facts.” I’ve been to many organic farms, and not all use organic-approved pesticides. Many organic farmers don’t use pesticides at all, simply because they aren’t effective and other methods (crop rotation, barrier plants, pest-eating insects, etc) are much more effective at controlling pests while simultaneously protecting land.
It’s true that organic doesn’t be definition mean “no pesticides” – rather it is a specific way of growing food, a way that respects all aspects of an eco-system. Choosing not to buy organic may be your individual choice, but those who do choose to buy organic should know they are lessening their exposure to the most toxic, persistent agricultural chemicals.
Rae
February 16, 2018 at 7:07 amHi Ethan,
As Amelia said, not all organic farmers use organic pesticides, some use none at all. I live in Pine Island, NY. We are surrounded by farms that grow all sorts of vegetables. I even worked for one of these farmers. I know what GMO seeds & pesticides are being used….I do not eat their produce. A few miles away, my youngest son’s best friend lives. Her family has been organic farmers for 30 years. They “do not” use any form of pesticides. At one point they were forced to purchase the adjacent property because when it went up for sale, they were afraid the new farmer would not be organic and wind shear would blow the pesticides in their direction making them no longer eligible to be USA Organic Certified.