The NON GMO certification program has categorized GMO products as high-risk products, low-risk products and monitored products in accordance with various criteria.
Accordingly, examples of high-risk inputs and content are as follows; Amino acids, ascorbic acid, aspartame, citric acid, corn syrup, ethanol, sweeteners, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, lactic acids, maltodextrins, microbial growth medium, molasses, monosodium glutamate, sodium ascorbate, sodium citrate from glucose syrup, sucrose, textured vegetable protein, and vitamin C, vitamins and many other components.
The association of a high-risk crop with a high-risk input or ingredient also applies to derivatives that undergo more complex processing, such as components developed or refined by microbial processes.
These processes often involve microorganisms such as yeast or bacteria, as well as high-risk crops used in the growth medium, both of which make the input or ingredient high-risk.
For example, ethanol, which is commonly used in flavorings and extracts, is usually obtained from maize or sugar beet through a yeast-based fermentation and purification process.
Although maize is processed and modified to contribute to the formation of ethanol, maize is a high-risk crop processed using high-risk microorganisms, so ethanol is equally high-risk.
Inputs and components can be high risk for one or both of the two reasons.
High-risk crops and their derivatives are most likely to be GM at some point in the supply chain because the GM crop variety is so widely grown and distributed.
However, they can also come from non-GMO processes and may be intentionally sourced from non-GMOs. For example, hydrolyzed vegetable protein may be derived from a non-GM corn variety. It can also come from crops that are not at high risk of becoming GM, such as grapeseed or rice.
Participants in the NON GMO certification program will always need to take extra care when sourcing high-risk crops, inputs and ingredients by looking for non-GMO versions and continually verifying their non-GMO status through testing or claims.
GMOs can appear in the supply chain and determine the suitability path for a product containing or containing these crops, inputs and ingredients.
The best way to ensure a product achieves non-GMO verification is to intentionally source non-GMO. Regardless of how much an input or ingredient is processed from the original crop form, any input or ingredient from a high-risk crop is high-risk in itself.
For example, papaya juice and natural papaya flavoring are high risk because they are derived from the high risk crop papaya.
Do not hesitate to contact our expert team to get detailed information about the GMO Free and NON GMO label and certification, or to apply for certification.
