Why We Won't Sell Garden of Life Anymore
It is with great sadness we inform you that one of the pillars of natural health and the most significant brand name on the market, Garden of Life, has sold out to Nestle. Here is the direct quote from Garden of Life regarding this recent transaction…
Dear Garden of Life Fans, Today, we announced exciting news that Garden of Life will become part of Nestlé. We are thrilled. This combination signals that USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified nutrition, based on real, whole and plant-based foods, has a seat at the world’s largest tables.When we started looking at our future and our growth, we realized we just could not do it alone. In order to scale true Organics (Certified USDA Organic) and real Non-GMO (Non-GMO Project Verified) ingredients, and provide more people with high-quality, meaningful products at prices they can afford, we needed the help and expertise of a worldwide leader. So, we actually set out on a mission to find a partner that would honor our values, embrace our mission and help us fulfill Garden of Life’s true potential. I spent time getting to know the people at Nestlé, their vision and their values. I saw first-hand how much we have in common. They have no plans to change us — what we do, what we stand for or what we believe. Our commitment to truly traceable practices, proven through third-party certifications — Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten Free, NSF and Informed Choice Certified, and most of all, B CORP — is foundational to who we are. Nestlé sees our value and wants to help us as we pursue our mission. I plan to be very open with you as we take our steps forward with Nestlé. I want you to know that we are, and will always remain, the same great brand you’ve trusted for so many years. Our mission is to Empower Extraordinary Health, and to fulfill that mission, we will continue to bring to market the most innovative Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified foods and supplements without compromise. We thank you for your support of the Garden of Life brand. Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Healthy Regards, Brian Ray
Our position at Spirit of Health is no different than when New Chapter sold out to Procter & Gamble. We discontinued that product line, and we will now discontinue Garden of Life.
The natural health community must take a stand against poor quality standards, corruption, deception, compromise, and greed. How well do you think you can trust a company like Nestle? Nestle is a company that is a known global bully for their laundry list of crimes against humanity and deception on the quality of their products.
In the statement above Garden of Life says, “So, we actually set out on a mission to find a partner that would honor our values, embrace our mission and help us fulfill Garden of Life’s true potential.”
This makes us question what Garden of Life's new values are now. Here is a very brief list of the “values” we have seen come from the candy and junk food company, Nestle:
As early as the 1970’s, Nestle began expanding into 3rd world countries, convincing women that their sugary formula was superior to breast milk. Why? Greed and profit of course. Combined with unhealthy living environments, unclean water, and diluted sugar formulas, the result was a tragic destruction of tens of thousands of babies. In 2012 Nestle paid 11 BILLION for Pfizer’s (a large pharmaceutical company) infant formula business. This crime continues in the US and throughout the world, a crime against innocent women and children. Read More
Nestle entered the bottled water business and began buying other companies. Nestle searches for pure water sources around the country, taking the water for FREE while selling millions for profit and offering little to nothing to the local community. Multiple cities and states have fought Nestle for taking millions and millions of gallons of water, such as Crystal Springs in Florida; Coloma, Wisconsin; Big Rapids, Michigan; Salida, Colorado and the list goes on. Often the battle ends up in court, sometimes in favor of Nestle and thankfully, sometimes in favor of these small towns being taken advantage of by this greed-driven company. Watch the documentary TAPPED as Nestle is exposed.
There have been numerous strikes, protests and legal battles over how Nestle treats and pays workers in other countries. The International Labor Rights Forum listed Nestle as “one of the five worst companies for the right to associate.” And in 2005 they were taken to federal court related to the abuse and forced labor of children in the Western African cocoa supply chain.Read More
In 2015, Nestle admitted that it used slave labor to produce seafood from Thailand. The admission came after a one-year investigation. Read More
Here are just a few of the many brands Nestle owns: Butterfinger, KitKat, Wonka, Nescafe, Stouffer's, DiGiorno, Hot Pockets, Lean Cuisine, Carnation, Nesquik, Boost, Haagen-Dazs, Purina, and many more. None of these brands have ingredients we would choose to feed ourselves or our families so why would we trust the ingredients they'll use in Garden of Life's products will be any better when they take over?
Our challenge to the health community
Based on this sad news we are challenging our families, community and other health enthusiasts to consider switching from Garden of Life to other great product lines we can trust and support. If you want to believe Nestle will not change anything related to the quality of the Garden of Life brand, you are believing a company with the track record as described above. Regardless, if the quality standards remain the same, you are still now supporting NESTLE, not Garden of Life, and giving your money to a company that has a track record of caring little for human life, but a great deal about their multi-million dollar profit margins.
Nestle will reap what they sow when they value dollars over people.
There are fantastic natural health companies out there with high standards, incredible integrity, and top quality ingredients. These are the companies we have decided to support. Not Nestle. And we hope you choose the same.
It is with great excitement that we announce bringing in even more products into our store. As we quickly filter out Garden of Life products we are already ordering more supplements from MegaFood, North American Herb & Spice, Synergy Company and others so that we can continue to offer you the best supplements on the market (see supplement recommendation list below). Although we might be sad to see what has happened to Garden of Life, it is always exciting to change, find new quality companies to support and continue onward to higher standards!
Our commitment at Spirit of Health is to provide you the BEST! We do not trust Nestle, and we can no longer trust the Garden of Life brand. We hope you support and join us in venturing into trying some new and better products.
Here's a list of products we recommend to replace any supplements you may have been taking from Garden of Life:
We've just ordered a new supplement line, MegaFood, to replace many of the Garden of Life supplements in our store. MegaFood supplements use whole foods to deliver essential vitamins and minerals to the body, as God intended. They update all of their formulations to adhere to the most up to date nutritional recommendations, including organic (when possible) and ensure all of their ingredients are Non-GMO certified.
Enzymes
Arthur Andrew Medical - Devigest Enzymes
Probiotics
MegaFood - Megaflora
Bio-Botanical Research Inc. - ProFlora 4R
Enviromedica - TerraFlora
Probiotics for Kids
BIORAY - Kids NDF Belly Balance
MegaFood - Kids N Us Megaflora
Nordic Naturals - Probiotic Gummies Kids (1.5 Billion) Merry Berry - 60 Gummies
Probiotics for Women
MegaFood - MegaFlora for Women
Mens Multi-Vitamin
MegaFood - Multi For Men
MegaFood - Men Over 40 One Daily
MegaFood - Multi for Men 55+
Kids Chewable Multi-Vitamin
MegaFood - Kids One Daily
MegaFood - Kids MultiVitamin Soft Chews
Nordic Naturals - Nordic Berries Cherry Berry Flavor
Women's Multi-Vitamin
MegaFood - Multi For Women
MegaFood - Women's Multivitamin Soft Chews
MegaFood - Multi for Women 55+
MegaFood - Women's One Daily
MegaFood - Women's Over 40 One Daily
Prenatal
MegaFood - Baby & Me 2
The Synergy Company Organic- Prenatal Vitamin
Family Multi-Vitamin
Buried Treasure - VM100 Complete
Grow Bone
Dr. Morse - Bone & Connective Tissue Support
The Synergy Company - Pure Synergy Bone Renewal
B-Complex
MegaFood - Balanced B Complex
Buried Treasure - B Complete
Vitamin C
Spirit of Health - Beyond Vitamin C
North American Herb & Spice - Purely C
Vitamin D-3
L.A. Naturals - Vitamin D -3 Spray
Harmonic Innerprizes - High Potency Vitamin D3
Nordic Naturals - Vitamin D3 Gummies (1000 IU D3) Wild Berry
Green Powder & Capsules
Spirit of Health - Power Greens
Spirit of Health - Wheat Grass Powder
Vibrant Health - Green Vibrance
Nutrex - Spirulina
Pines - Alfalfa
Aloe Life - Daily Greens Formula Tablets
Aloe Life - Daily Greens Formula Powder
Collagen Builder
Great Lakes Gelatin Co. - Collagen Hydrolysate, Bovine
Dr. Axe - Multi Collagen Protein
Calcium
MegaFood - Calcium
Pre Workout Energy & Focus Formula
Spirit of Health - Spartan Pre Workout Maximizer
Body Health - Perfect Amino
Chocolate Perfect Food Powder
Vibrant Health - Maximum Vibrance Chocolate
Iron
MegaFood - Blood Builder (We are SUPER excited about this product, by the way!)
Buried Treasure - Herbal Iron
CoQ10
Healthy Origins - CoQ10 100
Doctor's Best - High Absorption CoQ10 With Bioperine
Protein Powder
Spirit of Health - Strength Of Samson
Vivo Life - Perform Raw Plant Protein & BCAA
U.S. Enzymes - PROTEINXYM
Ancient Nutrition - Bone Broth Protein Powders
Zinc
Vibrant Health - Krebs Zinc
Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox (Cleanses)
WObenzyme
Arthur Andrew - Neprinol