A 'Non-GMO' seal for organic foods

GMO's are sneaking their way into organic foods, making it necessary to create a Non-GMO seal.

Wed, Sep 02 2009 at 10:53 AM EST

Certified organic doesn’t necessarily mean free from genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). It’s supposed to. According to the Organic Trade Association, the USDA doesn’t allow the use of GMO’s in certified organic foods. Still GMO corn, soy, sugar and other biotech foods are increasingly being found in organic food as the industry grows and standards are becoming lax or organic crop fields are being contaminated from nearby fields planted with GMO’s.

The New York Times reports that an industry group, the Non-GMO Project, has come up with a way to make sure that consumers know which organic products truly don’t have GMO’s in them – or at least mostly don’t have GMO’s in them. The group will certify products that “contain no more than 0.9 percent of biotech material” with a new “Non-GMO” seal.

This independent, third-party seal will mean that a product has been rigorously tested to ensure that the standards set by the Non-GMO Project have been met. The companies who create the products pay to have the Non-GMO Project test their foods, and if they meet the standard, the products get the label.

Whole Foods, Eden Organics, Nature’s Path and Tofurky are just some of the companies that have already enrolled in the project. A complete list of companies enrolled and the products that have been labeled is on the website.

The Non-GMO project is on Twitter and Facebook.

Want to know why people are concerned about GMO’s in their food? Greenpeace released this video on YouTube that explains what they believe are the “dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for the environment, animal and human health.”