Milling & Baking News - November 10, 2015 - 24

Food Ingredient Solutions X
®

development, and innovation for
MGP Ingredients. "This situation has
had the potential to impact broader
consumer perceptions, thus increasing
demand for G.M.O.-free alternatives
and promoting the use of package labeling to proclaim the difference."
MGP Ingredients plans to distribute information about its non-bioengineered/non-G.M.O. ingredients

through print and on-line publicity
initiatives, digital campaigns with direct outreach to customer partners,
print and digital advertising, collateral support material, presence at
trade shows, and facts available at
www.mgpingredients.com.
"The all-natural and organic trends
coincide with the non-G.M.O. buzz,"
said Mike Buttshaw, vice-president of

ingredients sales and marketing for
MGP Ingredients. "Generally speaking, the millennials, as well as our
'new seniors,' are much more inclined
to eat healthier, but include indulgence, too, in moderation.
"We expect the non-G.M.O. discussion to remain important for the foreseeable future. It generates good thoughts
and 'feelings' around healthier

Inside the Non-GMO Project

ack in 2005 the Natural Grocery Co., based in Berkeley, Calif., and the Big Carrot Natural Food Market, based in Toronto,
teamed up to form the Non-GMO Project. The two businesses
shared a common goal of creating a standardized meaning of nonG.M.O. for the North American food industry. The Non-GMO Project
was incorporated in 2007. Its impact on the food industry has surged
over the past decade.
Products first were verified in 2010, reaching a total of 4,163 products that year. Since then, the number has grown to more than 34,000
verified products.
Milling & Baking News interviewed Megan
Westgate, the executive director of the Non-GMO
Project, about how companies may receive the NonGMO Project Verification, what type of labeling they
should avoid and what potential regulatory action
may be ahead.
Milling & Baking News: For companies wanting to undergo the Non-GMO Project Verification
process, how long is the waiting list?
Megan Westgate: There is no wait list. As consumer demand for Non-GMO Project Verified has
increased, we have continued to add the number
of technical administrators that are qualified to
perform our verification program, which has greatly
expanded our verification capacity. We will continue
to bring on new technical administrators to ensure Westgate
that we can meet the industry's desire for independent third-party verification.
MBN: How long does the Non-GMO Project Verification process take?
Megan Westgate: On average it takes four to six months for a
product to achieve Non-GMO Project Verification. This timeframe varies depending on the inputs of each product, whether the products
contain high-risk ingredients, and whether testing and facility inspections are required.
MBN: Can you explain the 0.9% action threshold?
Megan Westgate: Absence of all G.M.O.s is the target for all
Non-GMO Project Standard compliant products. The 0.9% action
threshold means that all human food, ingredients, supplements, personal care products and other products that are either ingested or
used directly on skin must meet or fall below a testing threshold of
0.9% of the final product dry weight. This is in alignment with regulation by the European Union, where any product containing more than
0.9% G.M.O. must be labeled.
MBN: Does the Non-GMO Project Verification process include all
aspects of production, such as from farm to table?
Megan Westgate: The Standard requires ongoing testing of all
major high-risk inputs. The testing must be conducted post-harvest,
on a valid sample with testable DNA intact. Beyond that, there is
some flexibility as to where the testing happens and how deep the
supply chain engagement is. The Standard is a hybrid of process and
24 / November 10, 2015 XMilling & Baking News

testing. You don't necessarily have to go all the way back to the seed,
because you can determine non-G.M.O. status with a test.
That said, there are a lot of efficiencies and benefits to having full
engagement from the entire supply chain, and we are increasingly
seeing participation from all types of companies. The activities covered by the Standard include agricultural production, handling, storage, distribution, processing, manufacturing and packaging.
MBN: Does the Non-GMO Project have an opinion about products
on the market labeled as "G.M.O.-free"?
Megan Westgate: Unfortunately, "G.M.O.-free"
claims are not legally or scientifically defensible. The
risk of contamination to seeds, crops, ingredients and
products is too high to reliably claim that a product
is "G.M.O.-free." While there are a handful of unsubstantiated non-G.M.O. claims on the market, the NonGMO Project Verified label is North America's only
independent verification for products made according
to best practices for G.M.O. avoidance. Our rigorous
Standard for G.M.O. avoidance is based on ongoing
testing of all major G.M.O. high-risk ingredients, and
stringent traceability and segregation measures.
MBN: If a company already has a product that is
certified organic under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program, why might the
company also seek Non-GMO Project Verification
for that product?
Megan Westgate: Consumers are increasingly
looking for assurance that all major ingredients at high risk for G.M.O.
contamination have been tested. While the regulations of the (National
Organic Program) prohibit the use of G.M.O.s, only the Non-GMO Project
takes the additional measure of requiring comprehensive ongoing testing. Therefore, many brands with organic products seek the Non-GMO
Project Verified seal in addition to the organic label to demonstrate their
commitment to the most rigorous G.M.O. avoidance measures possible.
MBN: Does the Non-GMO Project have an opinion on state laws,
such as the one in Vermont, for the mandatory labeling of products
containing G.M.O.s? Does the Non-GMO Project have an opinion on
any potential national federal laws on the voluntary labeling of nonG.M.O. products/ingredients? An example would be the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 (H.R. 1599) that the U.S. House of
Representatives passed this year.
Megan Westgate: The Non-GMO Project supports campaigns to
bring transparency at both the state and federal levels. We support
policy change that will help protect the food supply in the future, as
well as provide consumers more informed choice. Vermont's mandatory labeling law does this. The federally proposed H.R. 1599 does not.
In the meantime, we're maintaining a diligent focus on providing
immediate consumer choice in the form of Non-GMO Project Verified
labels for the products that have been approved through our thirdparty program. MBN
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

http://www.mgpingredients.com http://www.bakingbusiness.com http://www.world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - November 10, 2015

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