Dive Brief:
- California Certified Organic Farmers has released the "Non GMO & More" seal, which its members can use to verify that their organic products do not contain controversial GMO ingredients.
- According to The Packer, "The word 'more' in the seal signifies other features of organic production. The organization cites soil health and biodiversity, animal welfare, and traceability of products produced without synthetic fertilizers or persistent pesticides."
- This seal will be offered to all CCOF members, which include more than 2,700 organic operations in 43 states and four countries.
Dive Insight:
This new GMO seal for organic food producers is almost the opposite of what's going on for other food manufacturers. These CCOF producers who already sell organic foods will now have more clarity about GMOs on their labels, while many other food manufacturers are up in arms over potentially being legally liable if they do not label their foods that contain GMOs. GMO labeling initiatives have sparked controversy across the country.
As for other GMO news, New Zealand Jerky, Inc. is set to premiere its line of the first Non-GMO Project Verified beef jerky in the U.S. at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West.