Oregon Fruit Products Updates Labels

Oregon Fruit Products is rolling out several key changes to the labels for its retail line. Starting with the company’s 2016 harvest, all fruit and ingredients sold in cans as well as Pourable Fruit have been Non-GMO Project Verified, meaning that they are produced in compliance with the rigorous Non-GMO Project Standards. Likewise, canned Oregon Fruit from the 2016 harvest will start being packaged in cans without a Bisphenol A (BPA) lining. The new labeling is expected to hit grocery shelves approximately by year’s end.

“Today’s customer is a thorough label-reader, and as an 81-year-old company, it is crucial that we maintain and build upon the brand trust we have built over the decades,” says Chris Sarles, CEO of Oregon Fruit Products. “We have always held our sourcing, ingredients, processing, and packaging to the highest standards, and now our labels reflect that unwavering dedication.”

BPA has been widely used in canned food packaging for decades and has been considered safe by the FDA, yet Oregon Fruit Products decided to transition away from the liners in response to the evolving consumer demands for “cleaner labels” and transparency in ingredients and packaging. Additionally, the company has not used high-fructose corn syrup in many years, which is now reflected on the labels of the cans and Pourable Fruit, company officials say. 

The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only independent verification for products made according to rigorous best practices for GMO (genetically modified organisms) avoidance. While Oregon Fruit Products’ ingredients have always been non-GMO, the verified products are now produced in compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standards.

The label changes come just in time for “Non-GMO Month” in October, where retailers across the country will be featuring non-GMO certified products in their stores.