Whole Foods Adds Non-GMO Seal to Private Label

JULIE GALLAGHER

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market is undergoing a process to verify that its private labels are worthy of a new seal used to identify foods made up of fewer than 0.9% genetically modified ingredients.

The first-of-its-kind seal will be issued by the Non-GMO Project under its Product Verification Program. The seal makes its debut later this year.

The move makes Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value and Whole Foods Market brands, the first private labels, and the largest brands to seek verification under the program, Megan Thompson, executive director of the Non-GMO Project, told SN.

Twenty-two Whole Foods products have enrolled in the program. The remainder will be verified in the coming months.

The PVP uses a process that combines on-site facility audits, document-based review and DNA testing to measure compliance.

Brands like Nature's Path Organic and Lundberg Family Farms also have items enrolled in the program.

“Since there is no U.S. regulation regarding disclosure on products manufactured with GMO ingredients, we are committed to helping our shoppers make confident choices,” said Michael Besancon, senior global vice president of purchasing, Whole Foods.

The chain is a member of the Non-GMO Project, a non-profit collaboration of retailers, manufacturers, farmers and others interested in defining a standard way of verifying that a product is free of GMOs.