Organic Processing Vo1.5 #2

Ingredients

there will be an 18-month transition period during which the project will focus on ensuring a non-GMO seed supply and working with farmers to avoid GMO contamination and with food manufacturers to address critical control points and develop non-GMO sources for ingredients. “We will be collecting data to make sure supplies are there so the standard can be achieved,” said Thompson.

Following the transition period, plans call for products containing the Non-GMO Project seal to start appearing on shelves in fall 2009. Several food companies have started putting their products through the non-GMO verification process.

“We Need a Solution Now”

Industry leaders believe the Non-GMO Project offers an effective tool to help the industry deal with the GMO threat and preserve the integrity of organics. “The Non-GMO

Project will help us unite to deal with the GMO issue. This is something everyone should be part of,” said Margaret Wittenberg, vice president of communications and quality standards, Whole Foods Market, Inc., speaking at Natural Products Expo East last fall.

Grant Lundberg, chief executive officer, Lundberg Family Farms, calls the Non-GMO Project timely and said the organic industry is ready to deal with GMOs on a practical level. “This is a recognition that GMOs are an issue and that we need to keep our products as pure as possible. The Non-GMO Project will benefit consumers so they trust what we do.”

Time is critical though, said Mark Squire, owner of Good Earth Natural and Organic Foods in Fairfax, California and Non-GMO Project board member. “We need a solution now. This problem will only get worse.”

However, if the organic community works together to address this issue, we can preserve the non-GMO integrity of organic foods and _{provide greater assurance to consumers.}

Ken Roseboro is editor and publisher of The Organic&Non-GMOReport, a monthly newsletter focusing on the markets for non-GMO and organic products and “The Non-GMO Sourcebook,” an annual directory of suppliers of non-GMO and organic products. He can be reached at ken@non-gmore-port.com. (A complete reference list is included with this article at www.organicprocessing.com.)