Product Verification Resources
Our extensive digital resources can help you navigate the verification process. Browse verification guides, webinars and more to inform your decision-making.
Curious how to get verified?
Steps to VerificationNon-GMO Project Product Verification Program Documents
Program Rules and Procedures
The Project is releasing the Program Rules and Procedures to increase transparency into the PVP for all stakeholders. This overarching document outlines the PVP’s rules and requirements, including procedures specific to different phases of the Participant’s life cycle in the program. Version 1.1 of the Rules and Procedures was released on March 31st, 2023.
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The Non-GMO Project Standard
The Non-GMO Project Standard offers meaning and value to the marketing claim “Non-GMO Project Verified” by creating, maintaining, and keeping publicly available, a set of rigorous requirements against which all Non-GMO Project Verified Products are measured.
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Trademark Use Guide
This document provides guidelines for the permissible uses of trademarks owned by the Non-GMO Project. All trademarks, including the Non-GMO Project Verified Mark, must be used in compliance with the clear directions and detailed examples found in the guide.
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Terms of Reference
The Non-GMO Project’s Terms of Reference outlines the mission of our organization, the process for revisions to the Standard, and the way we engage with our governing board of directors, technical administrators and program participants.
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Better with the Butterfly
Understanding Biotechnology: What is a GMO?
Help your team understand GMO basics with this guide. Inside, you’ll learn what a GMO is, which emerging techniques are considered biotechnology, and which crops and other inputs are likely to be products of genetic engineering.
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Understanding Biotechnology: New GMOs
GMOs are being created with new genetic engineering techniques, some of which do not involve transgenic technologies. The Non-GMO Project is committed to preventing these new GMOs from entering the non-GMO supply chain. Learn more about these new GMOs in this guide.
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Benefits Guide
The Non-GMO Project and its trademark Butterfly is North America’s most trusted and most widely recognized third-party certification for GMO avoidance. Learn about the benefits of becoming Non-GMO Project Verified and the resources and partnership opportunities offered by our dynamic Marketing team.
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Non-GMO Project and Organic
Learn what sets Non-GMO Project Verification apart and how two certifications can come together to provide the gold standard of clean label certification.
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Synbio Dairy FAQs
What is synbio dairy protein and how does it work? Is synbio dairy vegan? How does this new “milk” work for folks with allergies? Download the FAQs!
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Plant-Based Foods FAQs
Learn what synbio protein is, where it shows up in plant-based foods, and how these new ingredients work for folks with allergies. Plus, are these new GMOs even vegan?
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Wellness FAQs
Learn what GMOs are, where they show up in personal care products, and how to spot GMO ingredients. What marketing terms are red flags for GMOs?
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Keeping It Real and Fishy: The Importance of Non-GMO Project Verified Seafood
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Where New GMOs are Showing Up in Plant-Based
Are you trying to eat plant-based food and avoid GMOs? Recently a new wave of plant-based products made with synthetic biology are showing up online and on grocery store shelves, frequently containing allergens and lacking labels that identify them as being made using genetic engineering. If these lab-grown foods are marketed as “nature identical,” are they really vegan? Are they good for us? And why aren’t they labeled as GMOs? Download the infographic for a list of food categories to watch out for which may contain new GMO ingredients.
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New GMOs: What to Look Out For
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Bioengineered (BE) Foods
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A Brief History of GMOs
This timeline offers just the tip of the iceberg, but it reveals how new GMO developments are accelerating and broadening in applications and traits.
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Where Do GMOs Show Up in My Food?
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About Product Verification
Verification Guide
Learn what it takes to attain Non-GMO Project verification for your product. This guide covers choosing a Technical Administrator, navigating the verification process, using the Non-GMO Project Verified mark, and making the most of your product verification.
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Verification Guide for Brand Owners
This guide is designed to help private label and other brand owners understand their role in the Product Verification Program when a separate company, like a co-packer or co-manufacturer, is enrolling products on their behalf.
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Verification for Co-Packers
This guide is designed for co-packing or co-manufacturing companies to understand their role in enrolling products in the Non-GMO Project Product Verification Program on behalf of the brands they pack.
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Technical Administrators and the Non-GMO Project
Technical Administrators and the Non-GMO Project are separate companies that work together to help Participants on their journey to product verification. Use this reference to understand whom to reach out to with questions and what tasks can be accomplished with each member of the team.
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Certificates of Verification
The Non-GMO Project no longer issues Certificates of Compliance; Technical Administrators issue Certificates of Verification instead. Read this short guide to learn more about the documentation that proves your product is Non-GMO Project Verified.
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Named in Text on the Principal Display Panel
The way a product label is designed can sometimes impact the verification process. Learn more about the newly-clarified “named in text on the principal display panel” rule to ensure your product labels do not impact your ability to achieve Non-GMO Project verification.
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NBFDS: What Participants Need to Know
The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) is a federal rule that was published by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) in 2018. It requires some food manufacturers to place a “bioengineered food disclosure” on some food products that are made with genetically modified ingredients. This guide is meant to help Non-GMO Project Participants understand how the Non-GMO Project Standard interacts with the NBFDS.
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High-Risk Inputs: Examples
High risk is a designation given to certain crops and organisms, and their derivatives, that triggers a deeper evaluation under the Product Verification Program. Because of the abundance of GMO acreage, high-risk inputs are likely to be derived from GMOs unless intentionally sourced Non-GMO. Participants using high-risk inputs must take extra care to validate that Non-GMO versions are being sourced for their products. This guide clarifies the meaning of high-risk crops and organisms, and provides illustrative examples.
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High-Risk Inputs: Non-Testable Affidavits
The Non-GMO Project requires GMO testing to demonstrate the non-GMO status of high-risk inputs in many cases. However, affidavits attesting to the non-GMO status of an input are used in place of testing in certain situations where testing is not possible or not reasonable. Read this guide to learn when affidavits are necessary and who needs to sign them.
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Country of Origin Downgrades: FAQs
Discover affidavit compliance based on country of origin. Some high-risk inputs are eligible for a compliance pathway that eliminates or reduces the need for testing based on country of origin. Learn more about country of origin-based pathways before you apply through your Technical Administrator.
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High-Risk Inputs: Testing
The Non-GMO Project Standard requires testing of major, High-Risk inputs to ensure that Verified products meet the Standard’s rigorous requirements for GMO avoidance. This guide explains when, where, and how samples get tested for GMOs.
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Animal-Derived Inputs: FAQs
The Non-GMO Project Standard includes specific rules for livestock, aquaculture, and apiculture-derived products. Learn about sourcing compliant animal-derived inputs for your products and how to raise animals in compliance with the Standard.
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Beer, Wine, and Liquor: FAQs
Beer, wine, and liquor products are welcome in the Non-GMO Project Product Verification Program. Verifying these products is no more complicated than verifying products in any other category. Use these frequently asked questions as a companion to the Non-GMO Project Verification Guide to learn more about verifying your alcohol products.
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Verifying Body Care Products
The Non-GMO Project holds products that are applied to the skin to the same standard as food products. Learn about GMO risks in body care, the importance of sourcing non-GMO inputs, and how to get body care products Verified.
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About Product Verification (VIDEOS)
Verification Guide
Learn what it takes to attain Non-GMO Project verification for your product. This guide covers choosing a Technical Administrator, navigating the verification process, using the Non-GMO Project Verified mark, and making the most of your product verification.
Watch
Animal-Derived Inputs: FAQs
The Non-GMO Project Standard includes specific rules for livestock, aquaculture, and apiculture-derived products. Learn about sourcing compliant animal-derived inputs for your products and how to raise animals in compliance with the Standard.
Watch
High-Risk Inputs: Testing
The Non-GMO Project Standard requires testing of major, High-Risk inputs to ensure that Verified products meet the Standard’s rigorous requirements for GMO avoidance. This guide explains when, where, and how samples get tested for GMOs.
Watch