Please click here to download a copy of this draft, which shows comments received during the Spring 2008 Public Comment Period, and the recommended changes made in response to those comments.

In this document, comment boxes show the name of the commenter and his/her comments, followed in italics by the Non-GMO Project response to the comment.

All changes from the previous version are highlighted in yellow. In cases where the Standard Revision Committee has recommended a change not instigated by formal public comment, an explanation for the change is given.

Public comment will be held on THESE REVISIONS ONLY (those items highlighted in yellow) from July 15th to August 15th 2008. The next round of public comment on the Working Standard in its entirety will be from October 10th through November 10th 2008.

Please contact us with any questions.

August 16th in San Diego, CA (co-hosted with QAI and IOIA)

August 24th in Warren, VT (co-hosted with IOIA and Vermont Organic Farmers)

October 28th in Corvallis, OR (co-hosted with IOIA)

David Gould, Director of Technical Services for FoodChain Global Advisors, will present the sessions, which will prepare organic inspectors to do non-GMO verifications, most often in conjunction with the organic inspections of the same operation. David has been active in efforts to control GMOs for the past 12 years and has extensive experience as an organic inspector and certifier.

The trainings will be a comprehensive introduction to GMOs in general, and specifically how they relate to the Non-GMO Project and the verification of production chains as non-GMO. They will:

• Give inspectors enough technical background on the issues so that they can be informed when interacting with the Project’s participating farmers, processors, manufacturers, and brand owners;
• Orient inspectors to the Project, its goals, organizational structure, and dynamics;
• Explain the Non-GMO Project Standard and how to verify to it while performing an on-site inspection;
• Show how to navigate interactions with all parties involved in the Product Verification Program; and
• Provide inspectors with additional resources and connections so that they may continue to increase their understanding of the complex challenges being faced by the growing number of companies interested in producing non-GMO products.

TO REGISTER, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID GOULD AT dgould@foodchainadvisors.com

For more details, please see http://ioia.net/training.html