Edenews January 2025

In 1968, a group of friends that sourced natural food began Eden in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were motivated by a dietary, philosophical, and social phenomenon called macrobiotics which focused on eating and self-care centered upon whole grain and seasonal local foods that were not nutrient depleted or adulterated with toxic chemicals, GMOs, or irradiation. The Eastern perspective and understanding of disease, its cause and cure, was based upon realistic common sense and individual responsibility. Those truths explained a great deal of dysfunction on many levels that surrounded them.

Natural food was simply not available at that time. Eden Foods Co-op was initiated to acquire and share them. Initial supplies from Erewhon in Boston, Chico-san in California, and other sources were well received and attracted people and businesses in search of them. Inquisitive food sourcing led to co-op members traveling rural roads, knocking on doors, and looking for farmers to grow food without the use of toxic chemicals.

Eden Foods Co-op grew into a natural food store of whole grain, cereals, beans, soyfoods, pickles, sea vegetables, miso, unrefined oils, seeds, and nuts. It steadily expanded, and as many co-ops experienced at the time, a few people worked full-time so many could benefit. Eden reorganized as a regular business and added a cafeteria, bakery, books, and an on-campus chapati sandwich wagon. The Eden Deli & Grocery thrived. It was one of the few places in the U.S. where natural, organic, macrobiotic-quality food could be reliably acquired. It became a destination for people coming from near and far. Old style health food stores asked to share in Eden supply of basic natural foods and the EDEN brand began to take form.

Manufacturer and Importer

A warehouse was opened in 1972 to serve retailers. Relationships with artisan Japanese food makers were established. Unique macrobiotic foods such as miso, soy sauce, sea vegetables, tea, soba and udon noodles, umeboshi, kuzu root starch, brown rice vinegar, rice bran pickles, mirin, and other Japanese specialty food resulted. Eden Foods became an important source of natural and organic food for U.S. and Canadian retailers.

Convenience and variety of pure whole grain was needed. Whole grain pasta production began at a small Detroit pasta factory. The Schmidt Noodle Company est. 1923, became a partner in producing whole grain pasta. As demand grew, the factory merged with Eden Foods and became the Eden Organic Pasta Company (EOPC) in 1982. In 1989, EOPC became North America’s first third-party certified organic food processing facility. Since 1923, EOPC has maintained small batch pasta making using original Italian equipment, artisan brass pasta dies, a noodle roller, inside-out slow pasta drying, and the finest organic grain.

As the relationship between food, health, freedom, and happiness dynamics became more clear, Eden Foods thrived. Its persistent effort marketing clean, delicious, organic natural food caused fundamental change and opposing efforts to supress this by the establishment. Both remain in play today.

In January 1983, Eden Foods discovered a delicious and highly nutritious soymilk made with new techniques pioneered at Cornell University and engineered in Japan. Excited by the discovery, the recipe was improved, and EDENSOY was introduced at a national food show in July of that year. Six months later, EDENSOY was the fastest selling item in the natural food industry. In 1985, Eden Foods organized the joint venture American Soy Products (ASP) to manufacture EDENSOY in the United States. In 1997, ASP was the largest organic food processor in the United States. EDENSOY was submitted to the Non-GMO Project in August 2008. After diligent and thorough study covering everything from seed to aseptic cartons, EDENSOY became the first soymilk in North America to be verified to the Non-GMO Project’s standards for avoiding genetically engineered food and its derivatives.

Bedrock For Organic Certifiers

In 1988, after twenty years of doing organic certification themselves, Eden began to use third-party organic certification. The farm manuals and factory systems developed by Eden Foods became industry standards and bedrock for new third-party organic certifiers. This opened the door to government intervention leading to the National Organic Program administered by the USDA. So far, this has been an unseemly fiasco as fake organic imported food has flooded the market.

Eden Foods dutifully selects certifying agencies for USDA organic certification. Its primary certifier is the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), although Eden Foods always maintains complete responsibility for ensuring organic authenticity. It is more than a paperwork system at Eden Foods. Eden knows its growers well and works with organic certifiers who respect its commonsensical standards. Knowing what motivates the farmer is essential to Eden in determining if confidence in them is warranted. An audit trail and deep transparency must be trustworthy.

BPA Free Pioneer

Demand for pure food grew. The convenience of precooked, canned organic beans appealed to Eden customers. In 1991, precooked canned EDEN Beans were introduced. They became immensely popular. Drawing on long-term relations with organic bean farmers, these substantially higher volumes of organic beans were accommodated. Eden's bean cannery, Meridian Foods in Indiana, became Eden Food’s fourth certified organic, non-GMO, kosher food processing facility in 1994.

For two-and-a-half years, Eden vigorously and persistently researched the detrimental effects of the endocrine disruptor chemical, bisphenol-A, that was in the lining of food cans in the USA. Since early 1999, EDEN Beans cans have been BPA, BPS, and phthalate free. The entire American food canning industry, after years of Eden pioneered food safety concerns and demand for change, followed Eden Foods’ lead and changed to BPA free food cans about four years later. Ball Canning Corp. commended Eden Foods for being the force that caused this universal improvement.

Principled Development

Studies of macrobiotic knowledge gave rise to the natural food industry during the 1960s. However, during the 1970s and 80s, the natural food industry sold itself out to moneyed capitalists with no care for or understanding of macrobiotics and its importance to natural and real-organic food.

Today, Eden Foods is the senior natural food company in North America, the longest continuously running under the same management. It is the largest remaining independent natural and organic food company in the Americas. Eden is the largest purveyor of Japanese traditional, macrobiotic food in the world with more than seventy-five of these foods being offered. Since the Fukushima debacle, all imports of these foods have tested radionuclide-free in Japan and in the United States. Eden Foods has supplied macrobiotic natural and organic foods since 1968.

Constant Improvement

Eden Foods’ work remains dry grocery organic food with deep roots in community and in regional sustainable food supply. Eden manages essential grower and customer relations, manufacturing, food safety, packaging, trucking, quality control, marketing, communications, import/export, accounting, databases, and websites.

Most EDEN foods are sold in natural food stores, co-ops, and supermarkets via traditional natural and grocery distribution channels. The remainder is through edenfoods.com, to employees, specialty wholesalers, and retailers. Every EDEN food moves through one of two Eden distribution centers in Clinton, Michigan and Fremont, California.

Eden Foods continues to improve, refine, and expand facilities using environmental common sense, new technology, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Principles. Energy efficiency, the preservation of native flora and fauna, avoidance of waste, and a neighborly demeanor help guide us. We encourage this of others; even small amounts of interest in these areas reveal opportunities for significant improvements and efficiencies that benefit everyone.

Eden tracks the environmental impact of its food upstream from suppliers, through company operations, and downstream monitoring of social and environmental impact.

Non-GMO Assurance

Eden does not consider food ‘certified organic’ unless it has carried out due diligence regarding authenticity. The same is true for Eden’s non-genetically engineered claims. Eden tests, so that they know, before declaring a food is non-GMO. Since 1993, Eden has diligently worked to maintain a system that avoids genetically engineered food. Eden is proof that non-GMO food is doable and has the records, tests, and food that demonstrate this. Billions of dollars have been spent to make GMO foods invisible to people, making it extremely difficult to avoid them.

Certified Kosher

Eden has managed certification of its kosher foods since 1982. Today ninety-one percent of EDEN foods are kosher. Eden chose the Organized Kashrus Laboratories of Brooklyn, New York and their mark because of their reputation for meticulous attention to detail dating back to 1935. Pareve indicates all ingredients, food contact surfaces, processing, and storage equipment are certified meat and dairy free.

Allergen Avoidance

Eden is thorough in allergen control. Isolated packaging rooms reduce opportunity of cross-over. Rooms are severely monitored to ensure that gluten-free food has no contact with allergens. To ensure ingredient purity, Eden’s in-house laboratory functions throughout handling and processing. Tests are done for allergens, vomitoxin, aflatoxin, pathogens, GMOs, protein, pH-acid/alkaline, Brix, moisture, water absorbency, shelf-life, freshness, and taste. Foods Eden purchases are always tested prior to acceptance.

Local Food

Food is bought from farmers and Eden pays them directly so they receive the maximum. Most food is grown a few miles to a few hundred miles from headquarters. Some EDEN food comes from afar by necessity. Eden regularly visits, both locally and globally, the families who grow EDEN organic food and participate in their certification programs. Sitting in their kitchens, inspecting outbuildings, exchanging updates, sharing ideas, and walking their fields is the only way to maintain mutual trust and understanding.

A dedicated, trusted supply network provides the finest food that can be found. Eden Foods local-first purchasing reduces transport fossil fuel costs and supports local sustainable resources. Building relationships with organic growers and traditional food makers is our work.

Still Doing What We Set Out to Do

Eden is a principled natural food manufacturer of organic, traditional, pure and purifying food. The mission remains the same after 56 years — to procure the best food possible and share it with others.

The EDEN brand means no untoward additives, irradiation, chemicals, food coloring, refined sugar, sulfites, or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs). There is transparency for source, growing, and handling.