1. Is gluten-free the same as certified gluten-free?
2. Is Non-GMO the same as Organic?
1. Gluten-Free Labeling vs. Certified Gluten-Free
The FDA has changed the requirements for gluten-free labels which is below.
See my post about the new labeling laws. The standards for companies labeling foods gluten-free will be 20 ppm as required by the FDA. Read "Understanding PPM" .The products are NOT required to be continually tested or undergo any formally reviews.
When a company is certified gluten-free they have undergone an extensive review and numerous tests have been performed on the products and the manufacturing facility. The company must maintain these standards to be called Certified gluten-free. You will see labels like this one:
2. GMO = genetically modified organisms
GMO's are foods that have been engineered or altered. According to http://whfoods.com/, GMO vary greatly from the older practices of cross pollinating or grafting plants. The concern with GMO's is that the genetic engineering is not necessarily between 2 plants."With modern genetic engineering, genes from an animal, plant, bacterium, or virus are inserted into a different organism (most often a plant), thereby irreversibly altering the genetic code, the "blueprint" that determines all of an organism's physical characteristics, of the organism that received the gene." There is a lot of buzz about GMO's and the effects they have on the human digestive system. Alfalfa, Corn, cotton, soy, sugar beets, summer squash and zucchini are a few of the corps that are heavily GMO. Go to Non-GMO Project Verified to see a detailed list.
Non -GMO: Non-GMO Project Verified is a third party organization that is qualified to certify produce as Non-GMO. When you see this label you can be assured that the produce or food products is void of GMO ingredients
In order to qualify for the seal the products must be continually tested. That being said, it does not mean that the produce or food product is free of chemicals, pesticides etc.
Organic foods are always Non-GMO foods. Yet it is not required to have food tested for Non-GMO's in order to be certified organic. It is possible that the organic crops have been exposed to cross -contamination from GMO fields.
According to the USDA (United States Agricultural Dept.)
"Certified Organic" means the item has been grown according
to strict uniform standards that are verified by independent state or
private organizations. Certification includes inspections of farm fields
and processing facilities, detailed record keeping, and periodic
testing of soil and water to ensure that growers and handlers are
meeting the standards which have been set."References:
1. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=207
2. http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/understanding-our-seal/
3. http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment