Why are we still talking about GMOs
you prob don't need to be Project GMO Verified, non-alc brand Ghia launches it's first food product, more brands are going foodservice route
3-min read
In the evolution of plant breeding, GMOs had their day. It was a feat of science to introduce foreign genes into plants for things like disease resistance, but the science has moved on and the natural foods industry needs to get over it.
Almost every brand I’ve worked with has had to decide on becoming Non-GMO Project Verified and adopting the (butterfly) seal on pack. The decision usually comes down to — will it help my product get on shelf and will more consumers buy it? — versus, does my product contain a crop or food that is even available in a GMO form in the first place.
For most brands, I say don’t renew your Non-GMO Project certification. Here’s why:
it’s expensive, and many products never needed to be designated free-from GMOs to begin with
“bioengineered” labeling is now mandatory by the USDA (since 2022) anyway
crops are now being developed with New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) which are classified differently than GMOs, and not subject to regulation
That last part, the science-y part, comes mostly from this interview with David Friedberg on The Modern Acre podcast, which I will break down in a bit. But first, more on the brand-side struggle with GMO labeling —
A total of 13 foods have been bred as GMOs, therefore only products containing those foods or their derivatives should have ever been candidates for free-from GMO labeling, imho. But ever since 2010 when the seal was developed, any product could apply for verification.
And herein lies the confusion with consumers, because so much of food labeling is about virtue signaling, not food education and transparency.
It kills me when I see brands paying thousands of dollars for unnecessary certifications, and then these same certifying bodies boasting surveys showing increased consumer recognition. I say instead, educate consumers on current labeling requirements, and reassure them that you are dropping the butterfly seal because it has become irrelevant, not because anything has changed in your sourcing.
⬆️In 2022, the USDA passed mandatory GMO labeling where foods and packages must include a small seal or text that says “bioengineered,” or “derived from bioengineering” on the back panel. Source
The difference between GMOs and NBTs and why the food industry needs to keep up
The system where we introduced proteins into plants that aren’t native to the plant is called trans-genetics and the basis for the identifier Genetically Modified Organism (GMO). We got pest resistant corn out of this in the ‘90s, for ex. Since we were messing with DNA, the FDA and USDA stepped in to regulate these foods to make sure they were safe. The latest available GMO food to be approved in the US was the pink pineapple in 2020.🍍
Gene editing through New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) can make precise genetic modifications without introducing foreign DNA (think CRISPR), which differentiates them from traditional GMOs. It can pick out characteristics that are beneficial to farmers and humans by turning genes on or off. The result is more diverse varietals of plants, helping our ecosystem, and better nutrition for humans — like this potato.
The important part here is both the US and the EU are moving towards removing NBTs from the GMO regulatory process — because NBTs do not pose food safety risks — which is great because our regulatory agencies are overburdened!
In the packaged food world, NBTs will give brands better ingredient options (check out this list of crops that have been developed) without food risks or expensive labeling.
Premium non-alc brand Ghia launches it’s first food product ….and it’s hazelnut butter
How many of these BFY hazelnut butters do we need? I get it, a healthy Nutella is a good idea (the Ferrero brand alone is a larger share of the nut butter category than all almond butter), but still. This isn’t even all of them.
More brands are scaling though foodservice where margins are better and the cash conversion cycle is saner.
Neutral Foods’ dairy is now supplying all Shake Shake milkshakes and they just announced merging with grass-fed dairy Zeal Creamery. In my interview with Neutral on this podcast last year we talked scaling retail - and now this foodservice win (p.s. they started talking to Shake Shack 6 weeks before closing this supplier partnership).
I bought these today at Sprouts because my husband loves Triscuits and I’m trying to get him off seed oils, and he tasted one and said they are stale — because it’s past the best-buy date (didn’t think I needed to check this on a box of crackers) and now I’m never going to get him to change. Any recs?
All my best,
Jennifer