VICE’s MUNCHIES food blog followed up on Greenpeace Mexico’s report that Corona, Victoria, Pacifico, Tecate, Indio, Modelo, and other beers from Grupo Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma and Grupo Modelo are brewed with genetically modified grains by meeting with a Mexican craft brewer who refuses to use GMO grains.
Jordan Gardenhire, founder of Baja Brewing Company, is among a handful of Mexican craft brewers going non-GMO.
“All of our stuff is non-GMO. If you are a small brewer, you probably won’t use those types of grains, but the big guys are using whatever they can,” the Colorado native tells me from Baja.
When I ask Gardenhire what made him refuse to use GMOs and ultimately give up more profits, he says, “I am a craft brewer and this is an artisanal product. It is something that I love. I just want to make the highest-quality product possible.” He recognizes that beer isn’t exactly a health food, but it is something “that could be better or worse for you.” He compares the thought process behind brewing good beer to using good ingredients to make good food. “The better the ingredients, the better the beer—or the food— will turn out.”
