Non-GMO

About the project

Before the Non-GMO Project, North America had no third-party verification program that tested products for GMO content.

Many manufacturers have made non-GMO claims for years. But there has been no way for you, the consumer, to know whether or not the claims were backed by third-party testing.

The Non-GMO Project offers North America a consensus-based standard, a third-party Product Verification Program, and a uniform seal for products made following Best Practices for GMO avoidance.

Our Non-GMO database makes it easy to see what favorite PCC products and brands are verified to have Best Practices and testing procedures in place to avoid GMOs.

Browse Non-GMO verified products

What does the “Non-GMO Project Verified” seal mean?

The Non-GMO Project says directly that its seal does not guarantee a product is 100 percent GMO-free. It says that’s because “GMO free” and similar claims are not legally or scientifically defensible. Contamination of seeds, crops, ingredients and products has increased steadily since GMOs first were introduced because there have been no standardized Best Practices to stop contamination. The intent behind the Project’s required Best Practices and testing is to identify and stop the source(s) of contamination. Most contamination occurs at the seed level, but testing is done throughout the supply chain and production — before planting, after harvest, and during processing. The project’s Product Verification Program requires at least one post-harvest test of each batch of at-risk ingredients, using an action threshold of 0.9 percent. This threshold was set with consideration for EU laws, where any product containing more than 0.9% must be labeled as containing GMOs. Inputs contaminated over the action threshold cannot be used; continuous improvement actions are triggered to address the source of the contamination. In addition to testing, the project standard requires rigorous traceability and segregation practices are followed to assure integrity in the finished product. An annual audit confirms that every batch of risk ingredient has been tested throughout the year and that all other best practices are maintained.

Non-GMO Shopping

We’re partnering with the Non-GMO Project, the first independent, third-party certifier to establish Best Practices and testing throughout the supply chain to ensure non-GMO claims.

There isn’t a grocery store in the country that can claim to be GMO-free, since GMO-free is not a defensible term, but the Non-GMO Project helps us move in that direction, to become a non-GMO retailer. PCC buyers give priority to items enrolled in the Non-GMO Project and are asking all manufacturers making a non-GMO claim to verify that claim with the Non-GMO Project. PCC is committed to transparency and has pledged to identify GMO foods by 2018.

Non-GMO Product Search

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What foods are GMO?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 93% of U.S. soy, 93% of U.S. cotton, 95% of U. S. sugar beets, and 86% of U.S. corn grown is GMO. It’s estimated that as much as 90% of U.S. canola is GMO.

]GMO sweet corn was introduced for the first time in the 2012 season. Corn and soy also appear in many processed foods in different forms.

Some ingredients that indicate the presence of corn include corn flour, corn meal, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, malt, malt syrup, malt extract, dextrin, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, some baking powders (cornstarch often is added as a filler), food starch, starch, modified food starch, confectioners’ sugar, monosodium glutamate, and vitamins that do not state “corn-free.”

Some ingredients that indicate the presence of soy include soy sauce, tamari, shoyu, teriyaki marinades, soy drinks, tofu, tempeh, miso (except garbanzo miso), soy protein isolate and protein isolate, textured vegetable protein, and lecithin.

Unless the sugar on an ingredient label is identified as cane sugar, it’s likely to be GM sugar. About 54 percent of the U.S. sugar supply is from sugar beets and GM sugar beets account for 95 percent of the 2011 U.S. crop.