By Ebony McCline
When consumers buy natural and organic food, they don't typically expect that GMOs -- genetically modified organisms -- will be among the ingredients. A new initiative spearheaded by a non-profit will begin voluntary testing and put its "seal of approval" label on food products it finds largely without GMOs. That way, consumers will know with greater confidence what is and isn't in some of their food.
The Non-GMO Project, a California-based non-profit, will launch its campaign this fall to give consumers an informed choice about the GMOs that could potentially be in natural and organic products, says Megan Thomas, the group's executive director.
Consumers won't be able to find out in detail about the new labeling system until the labels start appearing on grocery store shelves sometime later this fall, Thomas says.
"It will be more tangible when camera crews can actually come into stores to see the labeling," Thomas adds.
GMOs are organisms that have been created through gene-splicing techniques, which includes allowing DNA to be injected from one species to another in a lab. More food producers are tapping GMOs to create a built-in pesticide or the GMOs are used to make their crops more resistant to the strong pesticides they spray on the what they're growing.
The project does not promise that products are GMO-free, but that companies make sure less than 0.9 percent of GMOs are in a product.
Unlike the United States, which has yet to put any restrictions on GMOs, many European countries have passed laws making it illegal to have products include more than 0.9 percent of GMOs because they have yet to be proven safe, Thomas says. Since 2001, Sri Lanka has had an outright ban on GMOs. Japan and Australia have restrictions as well.
"The problem is that there are labels that exist, but they are not third-party verified so there is no transparency," Thomas says.
The Non-GMO Project's program is a third-party verification system that is voluntary and tests a product's compliance. The focus is to make sure a company employs the best pratices to avoid contaminations.
Organic Baby, Tofurky and Kettle Brand Potato Chips are a few products that are enrolled in the verification program and are considered official participants. Whole Foods plans on adding the project's seal on hundreds of products it sells under its "365" store brand once they've passed the rigorous testing process, according to the company's Web site.
Even without much media exposure, the project already has over 400 retail endorsers nationwide, including the Common Ground Food Co-Op in Urbana, Ill., which carries products with GMOs, but tries to keep them to a minimum, says General Manager Jacqueline Hannah.
"We support Non-GMO products when we have a choice," Hannah says.
However, the Co-Op is constantly investigating companies to learn which have or do not have GMO products, she says.
The Co-Op already has some products that are labeled for consumers. However, Hannah does not see a direct correlation between the labeling and consumer purchases of labeled products, she admits.
"Most shoppers take for granted that we are doing all the research for them," says Hannah. "We already have built-in trust."
In addition to the Common Ground Food Co-Op, Choices Natural Market, Neighborhood Co-Op Grocery, and Chicago's own Dill Pickle Food Co-Op are local endorsers of the Non-GMO Project's approach.
