GMO is a hot topic in today’s food industry. It stands for genetically modified organism and according to non-gmoreport.com, it is “a novel organism created by scientists when they genetically modify or engineer food plants. Scientists have cited many health and environmental risks with genetically modified (GM) foods.”
You hear people ask if Non-GMO ingredients are included in a product, but do people really understand what GMO is or why it’s important? More and more labels are making reference of Non-GMOs… is it simply hype and does it matter whether you use GMO in your private label product?
GMO Watchdog:
An organization named Non-GMO Project is recognized as the leading authority and product verifier in the nation. Food manufacturers pay the group to have member affiliation in order to display their logo/seal on the label. The affiliation ensures consumers that the product they are purchasing was audited and vetted by the organization and that no GMOs are present.
GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
For consumers, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on food ingredients that are at-risk of being genetically modified, as the list of at-risk agricultural ingredients is frequently changing. As part of the Non-GMO Project’s commitment to informed consumer choice, we work diligently to maintain an accurate list of risk ingredients. Read more about GMO’s facts and findings on the Non-GMO Project site.
High-Risk Crops (in commercial production; ingredients derived from these must be tested every time prior to use in Non-GMO Project Verified products (as of December 2011):
- Alfalfa (first planting 2011)
- Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
- Corn (approx. 88% of U.S. crop in 2011)
- Cotton (approx. 90% of U.S. crop in 2011)
- Papaya (most of Hawaiian crop; approximately 988 acres)
- Soy (approx. 94% of U.S. crop in 2011)
- Sugar Beets (approx. 95% of U.S. crop in 2010)
- Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash (approx. 25,000 acres)
Is genetically modified organisms a big business, indeed it is. An article by Ronnie Cummins and Katherine Paul with Organic Consumers Association on March 13th, 2013. Whole Foods Market (WFM) is being praised in the media for announcing that it will become the first U.S. grocery chain to require that genetically engineered (GE) foods in its stores be labeled, by 2018. This is a victory for consumers and the GE labeling movement. And it’s a major setback for Monsanto, who for 20 years has worked hand-in-hand with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to uphold the myth that GE foods and crops are “substantially equivalent” to non-GE foods, that they are perfectly safe, and shouldn’t require labels.
Contact Darryl to help you design the ingredients in your formula.
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