Over the last several years, much concern has been raised over the use of genetically modified crops in foods. There has been little to no published research into the effects of genetically modified foods on human health, and the government has not required labeling of products that contain genetically modified ingredients. As a result, American consumers have no way to identify genetically modified content in their foods. While 30 countries have significant restrictions or outright bans on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the US has approved their use.
One organization—the Non-GMO Project—has taken a unique approach by creating a system whereby shoppers will be able to find out about products that don’t contain GMOs.
“The project was started about five years ago by independent natural food retailers who were getting questions from their shoppers about which foods were non-GMO and how to avoid GMOs,” Megan Thompson, executive director of the Non-GMO Project told Organic Connections. “Following a letter writing campaign from about 160 stores to food manufacturers to find out about their practices in the avoidance of GMOs in their products, they discovered that there was really a lack of an industry-wide standard for GMO avoidance. There was also no third-party verification, and of course there was no consistent labeling for consumers to identify non-GMO products.”
In visiting a large natural foods store last summer, project personnel found about 150 products claiming not to contain GMOs. Thompson said that these claims were not transparent to consumers, however, so that buyers could readily see what companies did to back up those claims.
The founding retailers set out to create a standard, along with a system of verification and labeling, and about three years ago expanded their boards of directors to bring on some of the founding leaders in the organic industry. These included the CEOs of Nature’s Path, Eden Foods, Lundberg Family Farms and Organic Valley, the organic program coordinator at Whole Foods Market, and the founder and board chair of UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.).
Today, the Non-GMO Project has in place a full non-GMO standard, a third-party verification program and a seal that will shortly be implemented by all enrolled products. At the moment, consumers can search the project’s website at www.nongmoproject.org to find a complete listing of all participating companies. Over 1,000 products are now enrolled in the program, and an additional 1,000, not listed on the site, include products from private label retailers such as Whole Foods Market.
Attention and commitment to the project has grown substantially in recent months. The project was recently the subject of a story on the front page of the New York Times business section. In July, Whole Foods Market showed displays of the Non-GMO Project logo on the Reuters sign in Times Square and on the Clear Channel sign in Las Vegas, coinciding with its announcement of plans to use the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program in connection with its private label product lines.
The evolved standard utilizes testing as a quality control measure. If any product contains ingredients that are at risk from GMO contamination, such as corn or soy, this testing is conducted as the ingredient is input to the overall product. In order to qualify, the ingredient must test below the Non-GMO Project’s action threshold, which is 0.9 percent. This is the same percentage required by EU regulations.
In Europe, any product containing over 0.9 percent GMO has to be labeled, and consumers generally won’t eat foods that test above this level. In contrast, most US and Canadian consumers don’t even know what GMOs are and do not realize that they are contained in the majority of processed foods. “The Grocery Manufacturers Association of America estimates that GMOs are in 75 to 80 percent of conventional processed food, mainly because corn and soy get turned into so many of their ingredients,” Thompson explained.
“We really believe that people deserve an informed choice about whether to consume GMOs, and that people have the right to be educated about what GMOs are,” said Thompson. “They need to realize that if they’re not picking out non-GMO products, there’s a good chance that they are consuming GMOs.”
To find products registered with the Non-GMO Project, and to learn more about the project itself, visit the Non-GMO Project website at www.nongmoproject.org.
Agree 100%. Why should the burden be on the non-GMO products to label as such. The burden should be on those who alter what is natural.
On a somewhat related noted, last night I was watching a program on PBS sponsored by Monsanto. They ad line was ‘improving farmers lives – that’s sustainable agriculture’. Liars.
Anyway I had to write it somewhere. It drives me batty.