A Certified Advantage: Navigating the Benefits of Organic, Non-GMO and Gluten-Free Labels

For a growing number of consumers, there is a strong connection between the quality of the food in their diets and their health. But food quality is no longer just a matter of calories and macronutrients: they want to be reassured that the products they buy are obtained from plants that were grown sustainably and animals that were treated humanely, but they’re also skeptical of vague and clever claims on food packages. That’s why clean certifications are becoming increasingly important for those brands that want to access new markets and retailers.

The USDA Organic certification is based on the National Organic Program, which defines rules and standards for organic farming and the use of organic claims. Its goal is not only to make sure food is free of dangerous chemicals, but also to improve soil quality and biodiversity.

The types of products that can be certified USDA organic are:

• cultivated and wild crops used for food, feed, fiber, or soil nutrients
• animal-derived products used for food, fiber, or feed
• processed food products obtained from plant and animal ingredients.

• In general, natural inputs are allowed, while synthetic ones are prohibited (although there can be exceptions), while the use of GMOs, sewage sludge or ionizing radiation is always prohibited. The main reference for what can be used or not is the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.
• Farmers are required to prepare a written Organic System Plan (OSP), which explains what inputs they are planning to use and what practices to adopt, for example for pest management, crop rotation, etc.
• Fields eligible for organic status must have been free from prohibited materials for at least 3 years.

The USDA organic certification is divided into three levels:

Products that have less than 70% of organic ingredients can list them in the information panel but cannot use the USDA Organic seal or the “Organic” claim.

Improve your brand recognition. USDA Organic is the most recognized logo by consumers, and pesticide-free is the most sought-after natural attribute.

Receive premium prices for your products. The premium price for organic products can be in excess of 100%.

Increase market access. In a growing global market for organic products, a recognized and respected Organic seal will help you access new markets.

Our expertise. QAI, an NSF Company, has been an active industry leader in the fast-growing U.S. organic sector for over 35 years.

Organic and non-GMO often go hand in hand for natural shoppers. In fact, the USDA Organic standard prohibits the use of GMOs. However, in spite of the best efforts of organic farmers, contamination with GMO seeds can still happen. The Non-GMO Project Verified program offers a higher level of assurance against unwanted contamination.

The core components of Non-GMO Project Verified are:

• Segregation ensures that tested or low-risk inputs are protected from contamination throughout the manufacturing process.
• Traceability measures ensure that all high-risk inputs are tracked through to the final product.
• Laboratory testing verifies that the presence of GMOs in products and inputs is either not detected or below the allowed threshold.

In order to know which measures are necessary, the Non-GMO Project standard identifies different categories according to risk and weight percentage.

The risk levels are:

• Non-risk: materials that are not derived from biological organisms and cannot be modified genetically.
• Low-risk: materials derived from biological organisms for which GM versions have not yet been widely commercialized or for which there are no known or suspected instances of contamination.
• Monitored risk: inputs for which GM organisms are in the research and development stage and not widely commercially available, or organisms where contamination has occurred.
• High-risk inputs are products or ingredients which derive from crops at high risk of being GM, such as alfalfa, canola, corn, soy, etc. Ingredientes derived from microorganisms. Animal products are also included in the list of high-risk inputs due to the potential for these animals to be fed genetically modified (GM) feed.

Once the risk of an input is defined, it's further classified as:

• Major if its content is 5% or greater of the weight of the finished product (excluding salt and water).
• Minor if it’s less than 5% but more than 0.5%.
• Micro if it’s less than 0.5%.

Testing is required for all high-risk inputs derived from a testable high-risk crops. Some crops are only considered non-testable under the Standard. Animal derived products will need to show the sampling and testing plan for the major high-risk components of the feed the animal ate.

Depending on the input being tested, the threshold goes from 0.25% for seeds and other propagation material to 1.5% for inputs used for non-food products such as cleaning products or clothing.

Grow your business. Tap into the ever-growing non-GMO market.

Access any market. The Non-GMO Project complies with non-GMO labeling requirements of major retailers.

Demonstrate your commitment. The Non-GMO Project is the only program that requires ongoing testing of high-risk ingredients.

The growing demand of consumers with gluten allergies and intolerances for suitable food products is pushing the size of the global gluten-free market from $6.7b in 2022 to an expected $14b in 2032.

The NSF Gluten-Free program is ideal for those manufacturers and suppliers that want to demonstrate a strong commitment to the health and freedom of choice of consumers. The certification is based on strict standards and covers both the manufacturing process, to prevent the contamination or commingling with gluten, and the finished products.

• The certification process can take between 14 and 20 weeks and is divided into 3 steps: preliminary review of documentation; on-site inspection; and sampling and analysis of products.
• Products making a gluten-free claim may not contain any gluten-containing grain ingredients or ingredient derived from a gluten-containing grains.
• NSF certified gluten-free products must contain no more than 15-ppm gluten. This limit is stricter than the 20 ppm gluten limit set by the FDA and BRCGS.
• The ingredients used in gluten-free products must not contain more that 20-ppm gluten.
• Facilities must have procedures for ingredient approval, storage and handling of ingredients, cleaning and sanitation, training, and recall and traceability to ensure that the gluten-free integrity of their products is maintained.
• Facilities must complete gluten testing on the first sellable product off of each production line per lot, and NSF must be notified in the event of a testing failure.

Grow your market share. Reach the profitable market of gluten-free and allergen-free consumers.

Demonstrate commitment. With its rigorous testing and auditing, NSF Gluten-Free meets and exceeds FDA’s requirements, making it easy for shoppers to trust your brand’s commitment to their health and safety.

Are you interested in one or more of these certifications? We are a certifying agent for the USDA Organic certification, a Technical Administrator for the Non-GMO Project program and the program owner of the NSF Gluten-Free certification.

By working with NSF for your certification audits you can:

• Count on dedicated account representatives.
• Take advantage of our unparalleled technical expertise in complex product formulations.
• Have the opportunity to bundle one or more of the certifications above with other NSF certifications and food safety services, saving time and money.