New GMOs
We are tracking their rapid rise and entrance into the supply chain
Over the last few years, the growth of the biotechnology industry has rapidly accelerated, due in large part to an explosion in start-up companies and venture capital funding. Today, genetic engineering is no longer about a few agrochemical giants manipulating a handful of commodity crops. It’s also about engineering animals, gene-edited crops, and ingredients brewed in vats in warehouses.
These new GMOs are largely unregulated and unlabeled, and they’re flying under the radar of the natural products industry. What’s more, many new GMOs are being marketed and sold to brands as “non-GMO.”
The Non-GMO Project is committed to keeping you informed so that you can operate with confidence in this new and quickly evolving landscape. Below, we offer resources to help you keep your goods non-GMO—so that you can deliver the natural products your consumers want.
Join June's Dairy Month Campaign!
LIVE EVENT: How Do You Milk a Microbe?
How Synbio is Disrupting the Dairy Industry
Join us June 16, 2022 at 10 am PST for National Dairy Month to learn all about new synbio “dairy” products and ingredients rapidly entering the market – largely unregulated and unlabeled. How are genetically engineered microbes making “milk”? What is precision fermentation? Who’s manufacturing “animal-free” dairy? Is it really a solution to climate, people, or animal welfare? If you are a chill buyer, work in the dairy industry, sell milk products, or purchase ingredients for your brand, you will not want to miss this seminar.
Industry experts for this seminar include: Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the Non-GMO Project; Albert Straus, founder/CEO of Straus Family Creamery; Alan Lewis, TEDx speaker, and head of government affairs and food and agriculture policy for Natural Grocers; Errol Schweizer, author, journalist and former leader of the national grocery program at Whole Foods Market; and Linda Cognato, Non-GMO Project Research Analyst.
Amplify Dairy Month with our Media Kit:
Help support the natural dairy industry and amplify Non-GMO Verified dairy products by sharing across your channels and encourage your networks to
“Go non-GMO.”
Non-GMO Dairy vs. Synbio GMO Dairy
How does dairy from the field compare to synthetic milk from a lab? Learn about the process here in our side-by-side infographic. We still have a lot of questions about synbio dairy.
FAQ:
Synbio Dairy
Download our Frequently Asked Questions guide to learn more about synbio dairy proteins, how they work, if it's really vegan, and how this new “milk” works for folks with allergies.
What can you do beyond June?
1. Sign up for New GMO Alerts!
Every month, this newsletter alerts you to new GMOs entering the marketplace, including the companies developing them and the products they’re used in.
2. Ask the Right Questions When Sourcing Ingredients
If you’re a brand or a retailer, know the right questions to ask of your ingredient suppliers to ensure you’re sourcing non-GMO. The easiest way to ensure you are doing so? Source your purchases from Non-GMO Project Verified suppliers!
- From where do you source your inputs or ingredients?
- Who are your suppliers?
- Are you aware of our policy/goal to avoid GMOs?
- How does this align with your goals?
- Do you have a GMO avoidance policy?
- Not all definitions of GMO are the same. Which definition of GMO are your suppliers using? Are you aligned with this goal?
- Are you aware that this goal also extends to ingredients produced through fermentation of genetically modified microbes?
- Do you know how your ingredients are manufactured?
- Do you know where GMOs may be used in the manufacturing of your ingredients?
- Do you know if GMOs may be used in the animal feed or the microorganism growth medium?
3. Keep an Eye Out for These Words
Sometimes, these words are used to describe techniques, processes and products of biotechnology. When sourcing, look for these descriptors; they may indicate the presence or use of new GMOs.
- Bioactive
- Biodesigned
- Bioidentical
- Bioengineered
- Biotechnology/product of biotechnology
- Synbio/synthetic biology
- Engineered yeast
- Animal-free dairy proteins
- Not regulated by the US government, so not GMO
- Made with yeast, just like beer
- Non-transgenic
- Not transgenic, so not GMO
- Breast milk proteins
- Determined to be non-GMO by USDA
- Self-made non-GMO claims
4. Download & Share This GMO Timeline
This timeline offers just the tip of the iceberg, but it reveals how new GMO developments are accelerating and broadening in applications and traits. Download it and share it with your customers and colleagues!
5. Synbio Seminars
Join us for our rolling micro-conference series throughout the year where we share research, ideas, insights, and opportunities related to new GMOs and their rapid rise into the supply chain. Join brands, retailers, distributors, and industry guests as we take a deep dive each season into the product categories impacted most by the entrance of new GMOs into our food system.
October 19, 2021
New GMOs 101 Webinar
June 16, 2022
Dairy Month
Coming September 2022
Plant-Based Foods
Coming October 2022
Non-GMO Month/Sugar & Sweeteners
Coming January 2023
Good Food Month
Coming February 2023
Body care/Wellness
Support Our Work
Be a disruptor! Our New GMOs educational series is brought to you in part by the Butterfly Alliance, a group of generous philanthropic individuals and corporations who help fund research, education and product verification at the Non-GMO Project. If you would like to learn more about the Butterfly Alliance, or if your organization is interested in underwriting one of our educational seminars, or this series, please contact Virginia Wawner at virginia@nongmoproject.org. Your donation will help us bring this essential information to retailers, collegial organizations, and consumers.
About the Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and protecting a non-GMO food supply. We do this through consumer education and outreach programs; marketing support provided to Non-GMO Project Verified brands; and training resources and merchandising materials provided to retailers. As the market leader for GMO avoidance, we offer North America’s most rigorous and trusted third-party verification for non-GMO food and products. Our mission is to empower people to care for themselves, the planet and future generations.
Contacts
Interested in Getting Your Products Verified?
getstarted@nongmoproject.org
Clients with Verified Products
verification@nongmoproject.org
Retailers
retailers@nongmoproject.org
