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NSF International Joins Non-GMO Project
September 25, 2013
2 Min Read
ANN ARBOR, Mich.To support the growing demand for credible, third-party verified non-GMO products, NSF International will join the Non-GMO Project as a Technical Administrator in early 2014 to offer retail grocers, food growers, manufacturers and restaurants another option to earn verification for the trusted non-GMO label.
Recognizing the increasing consumer demand for non-GMO foods and beveragesa market expected to reach $178 billion in 2013retailers and food manufacturers/processors have increased their efforts to deliver credible, certified food options. Whole Foods Market recently announced that, by 2018, all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Were responding to our customers who have consistently asked us for GMO labeling, and we are doing so by focusing on where we have control: in our own stores," said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. We are working together with our supplier partners to grow our non-GMO supply chain to ensure we can continue to provide these choices in the future. NSF International is providing an important service to help meet the demand for Non-GMO Project verification."
Verified Non-GMO Project products have gone through a rigorous process to ensure they meet consensus-based standards. The verification process requires:
Ongoing testing of all major at-risk ingredientsany ingredient being grown commercially in GMO form must be tested prior to use in a verified product.
An action threshold of 0.9%. This is in alignment with laws in the European Union, where any product containing more than 0.9% GMOs must be labeled. Absence of all GMOs is the target for all Non-GMO Project standard compliant products. Continuous improvement practices toward achieving this goal must be part of the participants quality management systems.
After at-risk testing is complete, companies are required to implement rigorous traceability and segregation practices to ensure ingredient integrity through to the finished product.
For low-risk ingredients, a thorough review of ingredient specification sheets is conducted to determine absence of GMO risk.
Verification is maintained through an annual audit, along with on-site inspections for high-risk products.
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