“Non-GMO tsunami is coming”

By Ken Roseboro
Published: July 31, 2013

Category: Non-GMO Market News

Adams Vegetable Oil promoting non-GMO and organic products

Adams Vegetable Oil was one of many companies promoting non-GMO and organic products at IFT Expo.

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About 20% of companies exhibiting at IFT Expo 2013 sell non-GMO ingredients

Non-GMO claims were a common sight at a tradeshow organized by an organization that has traditionally supported genetically modified foods.

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual expo features suppliers of ingredients to the food industry. This year, 219 companies out of about 1100 exhibiting at the expo—about 20%—sell non-GMO ingredients. This is a lot considering that the IFT Expo is a conventional food industry event. It shows the surging demand for non-GMO, which is now spreading to mainstream food manufacturers.

“The Non-GMO tsunami is coming,” said Jon Stratford, marketing director, Natural Products, Inc., a supplier of non-GMO soy ingredients.

Stratford sees the growing demand for non-GMO grains and ingredients from US food manufacturers particularly since Whole Foods Market announced that it would require labeling of genetically modified foods at its stores by 2018. The announcement is causing food companies selling products in Whole Foods’ stores to begin sourcing non-GMO ingredients.

Stratford said that representatives from major food companies were inquiring about the availability of his company’s non-GMO soy flours.

As a food trend, Stratford predicts, “Non-GMO will far exceed gluten-free.”

Elana Shneur, sales manager at The Scoular Company, said her company’s focus is exclusively on non-GMO ingredients.

Dwight Grenawalt, general manager, Summit Hill Flavors said his company is getting more requests for non-GMO food flavors.

Mexico-based Indumex promoted their corn ingredients as coming from “Genetically Preserved Mexican White Corn.”

Donald Wilkes, CEO of Blue Pacific Flavors, described how his company is a pioneer among food flavor companies putting their products through the Non-GMO Project. He said the process has been challenging, but said: “Once we become verified, it will be easier for other flavor companies to be verified also.”

Penford Food Ingredients held a press conference to announce the introduction of its new PenNovo MD, a non-GMO maltodextrin made from potatoes. Many maltodextrins are made from corn, which have GMO risk.

The Non-GMO Project seal was visible at the Adams Group, a California processor of vegetable oils, and Viterra, a major processor of canola oil in Canada, among others.

Suntava, which is putting its products through the Non-GMO Project, promoted its non-GMO corn ingredients made from a unique purple corn variety. Suntava supplies its purple corn to Minsa, a leading producer of corn masa flour that is Non-GMO Project Verified and also exhibited at IFT.