The 2018 Non-GMO Sourcebook

NON-GMO MARKET NEWS

Earth Fare switches to non-GMO ingredients in private brand products More than 500 private brand food items are now made with all non-GMO ingredients E arth Fare, a U.S. natural food retail store chain, announced in 2017 that it has removed GMO ingredients from its private brand products. With over 500 private brand items now on shelf and hun- dreds more soon to be launched, Earth Fare’s non- food line to meet their needs.” Earth Fare’s standard when Dairy Products, Inc. launched Non-GMO Project Verified butter products for the dairy market. The company transitioned its flagship Grassland butter brand to rBST- free, and introduced a retail European-style butter and clarified butter. Grassland Dairy Products, Inc. launches Non-GMO Project Verified butter O ne of the world’s largest butter producers now offers Non-GMO Project Verified butter products. In 2017, Grassland

“Butter is a very simple and natural product. Over the years, we witnessed a shift in con- sumers who want more accred- ited transparency in their food, we believe offering a Non- GMO Project Verified butter option would offer consumers more choices for their families,” said Trevor Wuethrich, presi- dent of Grassland. Grassland offers Non- GMO Project Verified butter in quarters for the retail mar-

ket; and one-pound solids, 25kg bulk butter and anhy- drous milkfat for foodservice and industrial customers. Grassland sources 5 million pounds of milk daily from more than 850 dairy produc- ers. The company supplies butter and dairy products to retailers, foodservice operators, and industrial dairy markets. It offers butter products for din- ing, cooking, baking, and con- fectionary creations.

labeling our private brand “non-GMO” is the European threshold of 0.9%. The process is to remove at-risk ingredients or source organic ingredients instead. In addition, Earth Fare’s suppliers must provide documentation that the ingre- dients are from a non-GMO source, and are contractually obligated to notify Earth Fare in advance of any ingredient or sourcing change that would af- fect our product.

Earth Fare focused its ef- forts on genetically modified crops and their ingredient derivatives: corn, soy, sugar beets, canola, cotton, papaya, squash, potato, and now salmon. By extension, any in- gredients derived from these crops would be evaluated (corn syrup, lecithin, corn starch, and maltodextrin are some examples). This non-GMO commit-

ment pertains to Earth Fare's private label food products, and does not extend to pro- duce, or meat and seafood. Earth Fare is one of the largest natural and organic food retailers in the country, with 39 locations across 9 states in the Southeast, mid- Atlantic, and Midwest. ( This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of The Or- ganic &Non-GMOReport)

GMO commitment is based on consumer demand, says Frank Scorpiniti, Earth Fare’s presi- dent and CEO. “We’re here to make healthy food accessible to everyone, every- where, and our non-GMO an- nouncement is the next step to strengthening our commitment,” he says. “Our shoppers asked for more non-GMO options, so we up- dated our entire Earth Fare brand

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