Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/328566
ucts with ingredients deemed as high-risk (see High Risk, Low Risk, p. 44) by the Non-GMO Project without organic or non- GMO certification; others, like San Diego's Jimbo's, are moving toward a completely GMO-free store. The Organic Consumers Association has brought attention to these causes, recognizing the top U.S. grocers leading such efforts in its Right to Know Grocers Contest. Most specialty food retailers, though, are exercising preparedness and responding to consumer demand. "We're never going to have a standard like what Whole Foods has," says Weir. "I don't see us ever being at that stage. But call me in four years, I could be totally wrong about that." Beliefs vs. Bandwagons Since Whole Foods' big announcement, spe- cialty producers have been anything but shy about jumping on board with non-GMO certification. In March 2013, the Non- GMO Project had verified nearly 10,000 products. In the year since, that number has skyrocketed more than 70 percent, bringing the current total count to more than 17,700, reports Courtney Pineau, assistant director at the Non-GMO Project. Notes Delaurenti's Plutko: "Everyone's including that in their pitch a little bit more." Generally, retailers encourage getting certified, if only to keep up with the com- petition. "It will only behoove them as more and more consumers become savvy to this movement," says Heather Julian, manager of gourmet grocery at Sickles Market in Little Silver, N.J. Saffron Road Foods, the packaged food brand of American Halal Co., planned a strategy to stand out. "We did want to be first to market with a frozen entree," says executive vice president Jack Acree, a badge of pride the company has worn since earning certification for its Chana Saag with Cumin Rice entree in January 2013. Dancing Deer Baking Company intro- duced its non-GMO Thin & Crispy line of cookies at last summer's Fancy Food Show. "It's important to be in the game," says director of marketing Laura Stanton. For Kimberly Crupi Dobbins, found- er of Simple Squares, a line of organic snack bars, getting the Non-GMO Project Verified seal was akin to getting a foot in the door. "We've gotten a lot of interest from stores that may not have looked at us in the past," she says. But it's not all about taking advantage of a trend. For many, the certification is another way to show a company's core values and mission, whether that be promoting pure ingredients, health, or transparency. For Crupi Dobbins, being non-GMO was about providing the best possible product. "If I'm going to be eating packaged food, I want to be sure that it's the healthiest and safest that I can possibly buy," she says. "We're trying to be as transparent as possible." Some suppliers view it as a way to authenticate unsubstantiated "natural " claims—Crupi Dobbins politely calls it SO YOU'RE READY TO GO NON-GMO Keep in mind these 3 tips for when you're ready to take the plunge. 1. Consider starting from scratch. Ensuring your products will meet the Non-GMO Project's standards is easiest if you control the process from the get-go. Dancing Deer Baking Co. did so to learn and understand the process from start to finish. Plus, the business saw the added benefit of introducing a truly new product, "as opposed to new and improved," says director of marketing Laura Stanton. Similarly, Saffron Road Food devised its chickpea snack line and newest simmer sauces with non-GMO in mind. "We were able to start fresh and say, OK, this is going to be a non-GMO verified product, from day one," says Jack Acree, executive vice president. "That made it simpler to do." 2. Take your time—and be patient. Don't go trying to reformulate your entire line of products right off the bat. Choose one or two—ideally those with low-risk or the fewest high-risk ingredients—and familiarize yourself with the process. And, say producers, it's a lengthy one. Causing delays initially was the dearth of verified ingredient suppliers, such as for butter and honey. Now, as supplier lists have grown, so has demand: the Non-GMO Project reports it is verifying more than 1,000 products every month. "Understand that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to do it," says Saffron Road's Angela Pellegrini. "[Do] not expect results in 30 days." 3. Double up on certifications. Trying to decide between non-GMO and organic? By definition, organic foods can't contain genetically modified ingredients, but some argue that while organic has a longer list of requirements to meet, non-GMO certification delves deeper into ingredient origin. Second, producers agree that consumers don't necessarily know one certification from the other and may make snap decisions based on incomplete information. If those aren't reason enough, Acree refers to recent data shared by Whole Foods Market: that products carrying both certifications sell better than similar items that have only organic certification. 40 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com lede_GMO.indd 40 6/5/14 11:45 AM