One of the questions that I often get and have had myself for a while is where can you buy non-gmo seeds or seeds from companies that aren’t owned by Monsanto.
Monsanto owns something like 90-95% of the seed companies out there. So the company might not be selling genetically engineered seeds, the money is still going into the pockets of Monsanto. I’m not down with that.
So I contacted the company that I’ve sourced most of my seeds from, Botanical Interests to find out where they source their seeds from and their stance on genetically engineered seeds.
This is the response that I received from one of their representatives:
Botanical Interests has signed the Safe Seed Pledge, meaning that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds. The future of “safe seed” is a concern for all of us in the industry. It is something that we take very seriously and we are constantly monitoring the news and talking with our growers about it.
We support organic growers, and we’ve been selling organic seed since 2001. The organic certification process is an important one that involves many steps: soil testing for pesticide residue, strict guidelines as to soil amendments that can be used (some soil amendments might contain heavy metal residues), and monitoring general farming procedures used. A lot of companies added organics recently because they saw it as a trend, but we’ve been selling organic seed for the past decade.
We understand people’s concerns regarding food safety and the health of the environment, and we do our best to be good stewards of the environment and to help people have access to safe, nutritious food.
For this reason, this is a company that I can support and get behind. There are some seed companies out there that sell a small amount of Monsanto seeds (less than 10%), but it’s not like they are weening themselves off and going strictly non genetically engineered seeds.
I know that this is a business decision and much more goes into than I likely know. It’s easy for me to sit here on my laptop and spout off, but it takes action for things to change. Supporting these giants, as small as that support may be, will keep them growing and alive.
Here’s another story about Botanical Interests that makes me like them even more. They have had a certain variety of tomato that’s been very popular and around since the 1980s. As of now, it’s only available from one supplier. Unfortunately that supplier is currently Monsanto owned.
Due to this Botanical Interests will not buy that seed, nor any other seeds from that supplier (or any other Monsanto owned suppliers).
That’s what I’m talking about. This is the kind of action that businesses and individuals need to take. If more people were to stick to their values than true change will come about.
This is why I support and recommend Botanical Interests to buy your non-GMO seeds.
When it comes to the choices and purchases that we make, it’s best to know the source of where our stuff (be it food, clothing, seeds or whatever) comes from and support what we believe in. We cannot pretend to be blind to what really goes into and the results of our purchases.
What other non-Monsanto owned, non-GMO seed companies do you know of?
Disclaimer: I am by no means affiliated, sponsored or receive any financial payments from Botanical Interests. They will supply me with a few seed packets a few times a year, but that’s about as far as our relationship currently goes.
My name is Mike Lieberman. I use this site and social media to inspire and empower people to start growing their own food and reconnect with their food source. Read more 
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