Tortilla Chips

Has Your Corn Been Tested for GMOs?

For over a decade now, Healthy Traditions has been testing American corn grown in the United States for the presence of GMOs, as well as the herbicide glyphosate. We began testing ALL grains grown in the U.S. starting in 2014, when we discovered that even USDA certified organic grains had glyphosate present when tested, and for American organic corn, we also tested for GMOs. See:

ALERT: Certified Organic Food Grown in U.S. Found Contaminated with Glyphosate Herbicide

While we have found over the years a few farms in the U.S. who grow grains that test free of glyphosate, to date, we have not yet tested any American corn, including USDA certified organic corn, that did not return a positive test result for the presence of genetically modified DNA. Our most recent tests for heirloom varieties of corn grown in the U.S. that the producers were quite sure were free from GMOs, were in 2025, and they all still return a positive test for the presence of GMOs.

We believe that the entire corn crop in the United States is contaminated with GMOs, including USDA certified organic corn.

The only corn we have been able to test and have a test result returned with no GMOs, is corn grown in Central and Southern Mexico. While Mexico has been unable to ban the import of U.S. GMO corn into their country due to trade agreements between the U.S. and Canada, it is currently illegal to plant GMO corn in Mexico. Mexico has literally hundreds, if not thousands, of native, heirloom corn varieties, which are part of their national heritage for "maize".

They do not want to lose these ancient varieties, therefore the government has banned the planting of GMO varieties in Mexico.

Therefore, the only corn we buy to make our corn products today comes from Mexico, and we test each batch we purchase for the presence of GMOs and glyphosate.

Anyone selling U.S. corn that makes a claim of being "GMO Free" or "Glyphosate Free" is almost always making that claim based on the fact that they are certified organic. But while USDA organic certification standards prevent the use of glyphosate or the use of GMO seeds, it still allows for trace amounts to be present through "drift" from neighboring crops.

Therefore, the only way to know if corn from a specific farm is truly free from the presence of GMOs and herbicides like glyphosate, is to test it. The USDA organic certification is not enough, and we have proven that with our own testing for over a decade now.

Healthy Traditions Heirloom GMO-Tested and Glyphosate-Tested Corn

Healthy Traditions is proud to bring you two styles of chips from our heirloom open pollinated Mexican corn: Authentic Mexican Corn Tortilla Chips and Restaurant Style Corn Tortilla Chips! The Restaurant Style also comes in flavored varieties, besides plain.

Our Authentic Mexican Corn Tortilla Chips are hardy chips that will stand up to any guacamole, salsa, or nacho recipe you can bring.

Our Restaurant Style Corn Tortilla Chips are made from thinner tortillas and therefore have a lighter, more crispy texture.

Both styles are made with our heirloom open pollinated GMO-tested Corn from Mexico and fried in our Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil!

NOTE: The Authentic Mexican Corn Tortilla Chips are a bit heavier resulting in a slightly higher weight per bag, but the Restaurant Style Corn Tortilla Chips are a bit higher in volume (more chips) per bag even though they weigh less.

Made from GMO-tested and Glyphosate-tested Corn

We start by sourcing our corn from a farm in Central Mexico near what is thought to be the “birthplace” of corn.

We went to this region because GMO corn has been banned locally, therefore the risk of cross contamination from GMO corn is much lower. We also appreciate that the farmers grow corn from seed that has been passed down from generation to generation. 

Our new supplier of heirloom Mexican Cónico Cremoso corn this year is a cooperative from Mexico that sources Mexican heritage crops with a commitment to native small-scale family farmers in Mexico, with a commitment to the farmers, flavor, and biodiversity.

Their partner farmers cultivate a variety of heirloom corns that have been preserved through generations. They use agricultural systems that prioritize biodiversity, such as the milpa, to nurture these unique crops and the land.

Milpa is a field for growing food crops and a crop-growing system used throughout Mesoamerica, especially in the Yucatán Peninsula, in Mexico.

The word milpa derives from the Nahuatl words milli and pan. Based on the agronomy of the Maya and of other Mesoamerican peoples, the milpa system is used to produce crops of maize, beans, and squash without employing artificial pesticides and artificial fertilizers.

The land-conservation cycle of the milpa is two years of cultivation and eight years of laying fallow.

In the Mexican states of Jalisco and Michoacán and in central Mexico as well as Guanacaste Province Costa Rica, as an agricultural term milpa denotes a single corn plant. 

The cooperative we work with cuts out intermediaries, and fosters long-term, trusting partnerships with farmers, their families, and their communities.

They buy the surplus heirloom corn from these farmers and their families, who grow these crops for their own consumption.

By working this way, they make sure to not deprive them of their sustenance and ancient food rites. They understand that these farmers are the stewards of Mexico’s biodiversity and their communities are life-supporting ecosystems unto themselves.

This cooperative actively listens, observes, and stands hand-in-hand with their partner farmers as they care for their land and their people. 

By using heirloom open pollinated corn we believe the real corn flavor comes through in our chip. The corn is grown without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but as an added assurance we have lab tested samples from the farms, with no trace of GMOs or Glyphosate found in the batches we tested.

They honor the cultural practices and rituals they’ve passed down through generations, and learn from these powerful preservationists every day.

They help farmers calculate their total production costs and then mutually agree on a price that covers these costs and enables a net profit.

On average, farmers within this network receive 43% of the final selling price.

Healthy Traditions has sourced a Cónico Cremoso (cream color) native variety of corn from San Felipe del Progreso from the State of Mexico, commonly known as Edomex (from Estado de México), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country.

Authentic Tortillas Using "Nixtamalization" to Make "Masa"

Once we have the corn in the U.S. the corn is transformed into "masa," through the traditional Aztec process of nixtamalization. 

During this process the corn is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution of limewater (calcium hydroxide and water), which allows the husk to “slip” from the kernel. This process is beneficial in several ways. 

First, it allows bound nutrients such as niacin and iron to become bioavailable in the body.

Secondly, it removes virtually all the mycotoxin that can be present on corn. It also imparts calcium into the masa, as an added benefit, that wouldn’t be found in the corn alone.

However, the best result from this ancient Aztec tradition is the taste! The traditional corn flavor and texture hold true from the first bite to the last.

Once the corn has been nixtamalized, the wet kernels are then stone ground into masa dough and pressed into tortillas. The next stage is something you won’t find with very many tortilla chips and is part of what really makes our chips unique.

Fried in Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

Once the tortillas are complete we then cut and fry them in our high quality Coconut Oil!

No more worrying if your chips have been fried in over-heated toxic oils. These chips are fried in an oil that brings out the natural corn flavor, and is not prone to oxidation due to heating.

We also add nutrient-dense Himalayan Pink Salt to give that right amount of saltiness. 

The simple ingredients are: Whole Corn, Coconut Oil, Himalayan Pink Salt, Lime/Calcium Hydroxide (processing aid during nixtamalization of corn).

Fried in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We are now offering our Mexican corn tortilla chips fried in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)! This EVOO has been tested for the presence of glyphosate, and we only use EVOO with an antioxidant level of at least 300 milligrams per liter of polyphenols.

Learn more about why Extra Virgin Olive Oil should be used for cooking and frying:

The Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Why You Should be Using it to Cook and Fry Foods!

Special Packaging

When Healthy Traditions began to look at producing products in the U.S. from traditional sources, food that tested clean from GMOs, Glyphosate, and other herbicides and pesticides, we were faced with a dilemma:

How do we package these high quality clean foods?

We began a search for packaging that did not contain harmful chemicals and was not harmful to the environment. What good is sourcing and selling high quality traditional food if it is going to be contaminated by the packaging?

The brown bags you see in our products, including our corn chips, reflect what we found was currently the best option for packaging our high-quality line of traditional products.

We have two kinds of bags that we use; one that has a wax-like lining, and another that has a foil cellophane liner.  Both of these bags are made from non-GMO ingredients and are free from harmful chemicals such as  bisphenols (including BPA and its derivatives) and phthalates. All ingredients are food safe and these bags harmlessly decompose anywhere that microbes are present (salt and fresh water, soil, landfills or in a backyard compost).

They decompose into organic matter without leaving any pollutants behind. (Independent Lab tests show - "None Detected.")

Shipped to you Fresh!

Our Authentic Mexican and Restaurant Style Corn Tortilla Chips are made in small batches to keep them as fresh as possible when they arrive to you. 

Our new Healthy Traditions Corn Tortilla Chips are:

• Cooked in Tropical Traditions coconut oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Corn that has been lab tested for the presence GMOs and Glyphosate
• Heirloom open pollinated corn grown on small family farms
• Made by the traditional Aztec method of nixtamalization
• From corn grown in Mexico and traceable back to the farm
• Made in small batches for freshness

Chips friend in Coconut Oil Ingredients (non-flavored): Whole Corn, Coconut Oil, Himalayan Pink Salt, Lime/Calcium Hydroxide (processing aid during nixtamalization of corn)