instore - June 2016 - (Page COM10)

Best labeling practices: How do you show you're non-GMO? By Stephanie DeCamp on-GMO is a buzzword within the industry that doesn't look to be going anywhere soon, and as such, consumers are looking to the labels of their favorite prepared foods to see if they include the magic phrase. If you believe your commissary makes products that are considered non-GMO, there are currently many ways you can implement that claim on your label. N Keep in mind that there is no official way to certify, beyond all doubt and with complete accountability, that your product is non-GMO. The subject is deeply important to consumers though, and likely to be standardized and regulated at some point in the near future. In the meantime, gaining consumer trust is likely best done through one of two options. The first is through the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA announced last year that it was developing a standardized label for non-GMO foods, as it has with the terms organic, grass-fed and antibiotic-free. The label is not mandatory, and the government still officially maintains that genetically modified food is safe, though it is worth noting that under the conditions of its organic certification, no food made - in any step of the production line - with genetically modified foodstuffs can be certified organic. "There are numerous non-GMO claims in the marketplace, but it's unclear to the consumer how valid those are, or what are the standards being used to assert those claims," Greg Jaffe, the head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest's biotechnology project, said to the International Business Times. "It's better to have USDA provide a common standard and procedure so that consumers who want those labels know what they're receiving. "While I understand that there are consumers out there that want to avoid GMOs, there's not a safety reason to do that," Jaffe added, echoing the majority of the food industry's opinion on the subject. "Any certification system, whether it's USDA or private certification systems, should not suggest to consumers in any way that the product with this label on it is somehow safer or better than a similar product without such a label." But there are a number of private companies that disagree, and are willing to audit your process with their non-GMO label as well, the biggest of which may be the Non-GMO Project. This organization maintains that the USDA's label is only an extension of its "Process Verified Seal," defined on the USDA's website as a label that "provides companies that supply agricultural products or services the opportunity to assure customers of their ability to provide consistent quality products or services." The USDA's standardized label is not what it seems, the Non-GMO Project maintains, because it does not actually account for the line of production verification that a product is entirely made with non-GMO ingredients, but only for a given producer's internal practices in regard to quality and management. "There is no transparency as to what these practices are," the organization's rebuttal of the USDA's announcement states, "and they are not based on a third party standard." According to National Public Radio, the USDA's Process Verified Program involves submitting documentation of desk and onsite visits, and includes USDA auditors themselves making site visits for verification. The Non-GMO Project maintains that theirs is a more credible and transparent label worthy of consumers' trust. PHOTO: ADOBESTOCK 10 * JUNE 2016 * commissary INSIDER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - June 2016

instore - June 2016
Editor's Note - Retail Foodservice: Here's your chance
Table of Contents
News - On our radar
Feature - Prepared and growing
Spotlight - By the numbers: Pizza
Cover story - Prepared for the holidays
Commissary Insider - Insight Insider: Bimmy's boasts food 'made with love'
Food Safety: Creating a food safety culture
Equipment: Success with spiral refrigeration systems
Best labeling practices: How do you show you’re non-GMO?
Operations and logistics: The importance of preventative maintenance
Specialty Insights - Consider Olives & Antipasta
Feature - Marketing to smaller households
Product Knowledge - Need to Know: Holiday pies
Equipment & Packaging - Latest Innovation: Slicing equipment
Merchandising - On display: Holiday gifts
Product Trends - First to Market
Product Showcase
Ad Index

instore - June 2016