The following is from a Non-GMO Project press release received today: July 16th, 2009— The trend toward Non-GMO Project Verification is expanding dramatically, with recent signs including a doubling of product enrollment and an announcement by Whole Foods Market that they will be verifying their private label products through the Non-GMO Project (blogger note: even though I hate mentioning those guys it is the news and their joining the Non-GMO Project is a big plus for the common goal of reducing and hopefully eliminating GMOs from our foods).
New participants of the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program (PVP) include Kettle Brand Potato Chips, Guayaki, Full of Life Products, Tofurky, Turtle Island Foods, Green Mountain Gringo, and Straus Family Creamery. New Chapter and Rainbow Light have joined the program as the first vitamin and supplement companies to enroll products, and EO Products has enrolled the first body care items. In total, ten new brands have signed on to the program, joining companies such as Eden Foods, Lundberg Family Farms, Nature’s Path, UNFI, WholeSoy & Co, R.W. Garcia, and Whole Foods Market. A complete list of enrolled products is available on the Project’s website: www.nongmoproject.org.
Companies that have made a non-GMO commitment and are in the process of enrolling in the PVP include Earth Balance, Wildwood, Traditional Medicinals, and Edward & Sons Trading Company, along with many others.
Companies making a verification commitment through the Non-GMO Project are on the leading edge of what promises to be a rewarding trend. In a poll conducted last month, more than 80% of those surveyed said they would seek out non-GMO products with clear labeling and would be willing to pay more for these products. And UNFI, the United States’ leading independent distributor of natural and organic products, has plans to identify “Non-GMO Project Verified” products in their catalogues, helping the Project’s 400+ retailer endorsers (which includes Down to Earth) find non-GMO choices for their customers.