[Editor’s note: Greg Jaffe is the Director of the Project on Biotechnology for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.]
Some companies market their food product as “non-GMO” to create a nonexistent distinction that gives them a competitive advantage (sometimes at a premium price). For example, Tropicana Orange Juice includes the “Non-GMO Project” seal on its package, yet its sole ingredient is oranges, and there are no commercially grown, genetically engineered oranges. Every brand of orange juice is naturally “non-GMO,” provided the only ingredient is oranges. The same can be said for Emerald Natural Almonds or Woodstock Peanut Butter, which both have “Non-GMO Product” seals even though their only ingredient is almonds or peanuts, and there are no GM varieties of those nuts.
The Non-GMO Project is the largest verifier of non-GMO foods with more than 43,000 products bearing its seal. While it discloses its verification standards if consumers want to read them, it can hardly be called a neutral provider of information. The Project’s website includes “alternative facts” about the safety of foods and ingredients made from current GM crops. … The Non-GMO Project is sowing doubts about the safety of GM products to increase sales of its verified products.
Share this article
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Shopping for Honesty: Sorting Out Non-GMO Claims
For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia
