Triscuit Cracker boxes featuring the distinctive verification seal with its butterfly logo started shipping to stores last month, scheduled to be completed by September.
Triscuits are wheat crackers produced by Mondelēz-subsidiary Nabisco that have been touted as a “healthier” alternative to traditional crackers.
What is GMO?
A genetically modified organism is a plant or microorganism that has had its genetic material artificially engineered by biotechnology.
This is done to enhance its nutrition benefits, to make it more resistant to herbicides, viruses and extreme weather conditions (such as drought), and to improve a plant’s protection against insects.
While wheat is not genetically engineered in the US, some crops are produced with mutagenesis, which involves subjecting the plants to radiation or dousing them with chemicals to scramble their genes in order to products new traits.
Processed vegetable oils such as soybean, canola and cottonseed oil in the US are GMOs.
Commitment to transparency
Having Triscuit products verified by the Non-GMO Project is one way the company can reassure consumers that it is still strongly committed to transparency.
The move is also heavily based on consumer preference.
Interest in non-GMO foods has grown substantially in the US, despite federal regulators maintaining that food products made with genetically modified ingredients are safe.
According to market researcher NPD Group, 76% of US adults are “concerned” about GMOs. By July 2018, all US products will be required to disclose GMO ingredients on their labels.
“Over its 100 plus-year history, Triscuit has delivered what consumers want – simple ingredients, new flavors and everyday recipe solutions. This is no exception,” Kailey Clark, brand manager, Triscuit North America, told BakeryandSnacks.
Triscuit's promise
“We’ve made a commitment to use only oil and seasonings that meet ‘The Standard for the Non-GMO Project Verification program’ in all Triscuit varieties,” said Clark.
Gold standard
The Non-GMO Project is America’s leading independent verifier of non-GMO foods and the only third-party, non-profit and non-GMO verification system in the US.
“It is the most trusted label among consumers,” she added.
Clark said the company’s newest NPD, Vea, is also Non-GMO Project Verified.