A little-known but publicly traded organic food processing company, SunOpta, has persuaded the federal government that its system for detecting genetically modified crops is so effective that the company should be permitted to label ingredients from one of its plants in Minnesota as free of such alterations.
The company, which is based in Toronto but has most of its facilities in the United States, specializes in sourcing, processing and packaging of natural and certified organic food products that are sold in stores like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joeโs.
The United States Department of Agriculture is not certifying that SunOptaโs ingredients are G.M.O.-free. Rather, it is certifying that the SunOpta process does ensure that the corn and soy it plans to process in its plant in Hope, Minn., are not genetically altered varieties.
The decision was noted in a monthly email that Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack sends to employees. That email was obtained by The Associated Press, which reported on Thursday that the U.S.D.A. would soon disclose a new labeling program.
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โWhile the Process Verified Program itself is not a new program, this is the first non-GMO/GE claim verified through U.S.D.A.,โ Vilsack wrote in his email on Thursday. โIt will be announced soon, and other companies are already lining up to take advantage of this service.โ
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post:ย U.S. Approves SunOpta System for Detecting Genetically Modified Crops
