The Non-GMO Project
Encyclopedia
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization, created by leaders representing all sectors of the organic
and natural products industry in the U.S. and Canada, to offer consumers a consistent non-GMO
choice for food and products that are produced without genetic engineering
or recombinant DNA technologies
.
status of their products. It was soon realized that a third party verification system along with a standardized consensus based definition of non-GMO was needed to evaluate products. Working with industry leaders the Non-GMO Project Product Verification Program began enrolling products in 2008. FoodChain Global Advisors, a part of Global ID Group, provided the technical and scientific foundation for the endeavor. Encompassing each level of the food chain from seeds to finished products, the Project provides a system for ensuring viable non-GMO alternatives into the future.
, sampling techniques
, and quality control
management are emphasized in the Standard.
In 2001, The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto, Ontario, after a year and a half of research, started a non-GMO purchasing policy discontinuing products that were not confirmed by the manufacturer to be non-GMO. Due to the lack of an authoritative definition, the Big Carrot began to look for a more reliable method of providing non-GM products.
In 2005, The Natural Grocery Co. and The Big Carrot worked together to form The Non-GMO Project with the goal of creating a standardized definition of non-GMO. The Project worked with FoodChain which provided the scientific and technical expertise that would make the Project’s goals feasible. In the Spring of 2007, the Board of Directors was expanded to include representatives from more stakeholder groups in the natural products industry. This board then formed advisory boards for technical and policy issues.
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
and natural products industry in the U.S. and Canada, to offer consumers a consistent non-GMO
Genetically modified organism
A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
choice for food and products that are produced without genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
or recombinant DNA technologies
Recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA molecules are DNA sequences that result from the use of laboratory methods to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms...
.
The Project
The Project was originally started by a group of natural food retailers who wanted to provide their customers with more information on the GMOGenetically modified organism
A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
status of their products. It was soon realized that a third party verification system along with a standardized consensus based definition of non-GMO was needed to evaluate products. Working with industry leaders the Non-GMO Project Product Verification Program began enrolling products in 2008. FoodChain Global Advisors, a part of Global ID Group, provided the technical and scientific foundation for the endeavor. Encompassing each level of the food chain from seeds to finished products, the Project provides a system for ensuring viable non-GMO alternatives into the future.
The Standard
The Non-GMO Project Standard's goal is to assist farmers, processors, and manufacturers avoid GMO contamination. The Standard outlines a process based system for ensuring best practices for avoiding GMO's. Methods such as segregation, traceability, risk assessmentRisk assessment
Risk assessment is a step in a risk management procedure. Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat...
, sampling techniques
Sampling (statistics)
In statistics and survey methodology, sampling is concerned with the selection of a subset of individuals from within a population to estimate characteristics of the whole population....
, and quality control
Quality control
Quality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
management are emphasized in the Standard.
Product Verification
The Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program (PVP) assesses ingredients, products, and manufacturing facilities to establish compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard. The PVP process is managed through a web-based application and evaluation program developed for the Project by FoodChain Global Advisors, the central administrative body of the PVP.Seal
The Non-GMO Project seal verifies that a product has met the requirements set forth by the standard. The goal of the claim is to communicate that a product meets best practices for GMO avoidance as set forth by the Non-GMO Project standard.
History
In 2003 in response to customers who were concerned about GM soy lechitin, employees of The Natural Grocery Co. in Berkeley, began the “People Want to Know Campaign.” Its’ goal was to provide an informed choice regarding GM products in the store. The results were mixed as there was no industry wide definition as to what non-GMO meant.In 2001, The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto, Ontario, after a year and a half of research, started a non-GMO purchasing policy discontinuing products that were not confirmed by the manufacturer to be non-GMO. Due to the lack of an authoritative definition, the Big Carrot began to look for a more reliable method of providing non-GM products.
In 2005, The Natural Grocery Co. and The Big Carrot worked together to form The Non-GMO Project with the goal of creating a standardized definition of non-GMO. The Project worked with FoodChain which provided the scientific and technical expertise that would make the Project’s goals feasible. In the Spring of 2007, the Board of Directors was expanded to include representatives from more stakeholder groups in the natural products industry. This board then formed advisory boards for technical and policy issues.
Further reading
- Andrew Kimbrell, Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food (Earth Aware Editions, 2007). ISBN 1932771522