Our Non-GMO Commitment Infographic
GMO stands for genetically modified organism, a term that refers to any substance whose DNA has been genetically engineered to provide a benefit that normally would not occur in nature, such as a higher resistance to certain agricultural chemicals, or additional protection from invasive pests. While the benefits to agricultural output are unquestioned, the long-term impact of genetically modified organisms on the environment and our bodies has not been adequately studied.
Until better evidence for the long-term safety and environmental sustainability of genetically modified crops and ingredients exists, NOW® will continue to insist on using only non-GMO ingredients in our products whenever possible. Find a full selection of NOW Non-GMO products and Non-GMO Project Verified products.
This infographic outlines NOW’s commitment to the use of non-GMO ingredients, and our Non-GMO Assurance Process that we use to define non-GMO products.
OUR NON-GMO COMMITMENT
WHAT ARE GMOS?
Genetically Modified Organisms
GMO foods are produced through genetic engineering processes, which normally would not occur in nature because they utilize genes from different species. This is different from traditional cross-breeding in which plants reproduce naturally.
Plants, Animals, Bacteria, & DNA= GE
GMOs - combinations of plant, animal, bacterial, and viral genes that are deliberately manipulated
NATURAL: OUR POSITION ON GMOS
We are committed to Natural
This commitment is reflected in our Core Values. We believe that GMOs are not natural. We would like to see increased farming of non-GMO crops, and even a ban on GMO crops for human consumption and animal feed. This would help us achieve our ultimate goal, which is for 100% of our products to contain only non-GMO ingredients.
ASSURED: OUR NON-GMO ASSURANCE PROCESS
NOW’s Non-GMO Assurance Process is our active process for defining non-GMO products. This Assurance Process is defined by stringent NOW Quality Standards and involves a combination of documentation and testing.
For our animal-derived ingredients, processing aids and capsules, typically only the source of the animal feed cannot be verified as non-GMO. For our ingredients and processing aids derived from crops, testing and supplier confirmation are provided to assure the non-GMO status of these ingredients. We are testing our ingredients to be GMO-free when no audit trail exists for the crops or animal feed used in the process. This is an intermediate step while we work with our vendors to establish non-GMO audit trails for each ingredient. This is especially true for complex dietary supplements and personal care products containing highly purified ingredients.
As an additional step in our Non-GMO Assurance Process we work with The Non-GMO Project for verification of our products.
VERIFICATION BY THE NON-GMO PROJECT
The Non-GMO Project is an independent third-party organization. Their verification process involves facility audits and documented evidence for each product.
STATUS: OUR CURRENT NON-GMO PRODUCT STATUS
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO GET TO OUR GOAL OF 100%?
• 100% of NOW’s food line brands are already GMO-Free (free of detectable GMOs).
• We have made it our top priority to ensure that “Key Ingredients” in our dietary supplements are non-GMO and to eliminate GMOs from our product supply. For example, popular NOW® Vitamin E-400 softgels are verified as non-GMO, which is unique.
• A very high percentage of our supplements are already Non-GMO Assured, and this number continues to increase.
• We are actively pursuing more Non-GMO Project Verifications.
CURRENT NOW® NON-GMO ASSURED AND NON-GMO PROJECT VERIFIED STATUS GRAPH
• 456 – Non-GMO Project Verified Products
• 832 – NOW® Non-GMO Assured Products
includes Foods, Supplements and Essential Oils. Updated 05/07/21
INGREDIENT CHALLENGES:
KEY INGREDIENTS – Soy- and corn-derived ingredients that are highly processed and have full non-GMO documentation are often difficult to source, but they can be tested as GMO-free.
CAPSULES – For our two-piece gelatin capsules and gelatin softgels, it’s difficult to verify the non-GMO status of the animal feed. NOW chooses to use only bovine-sourced gelatin for our capsules and softgels, and our vegetable capsules are Non-GMO Project Verified. Our use of veg caps opens up a large group of dietary supplements for possible Non-GMO Project verification.
EXCIPIENTS AND PROCESSING AIDS – Some may be derived from high-risk crops, which are difficult to document as non-GMO when they are highly refined.
ANIMAL-DERIVED INGREDIENTS – It is difficult to verify whether the feed that the animals eat is non-GMO.
YEASTS AND PROBIOTICS – These organisms are typically non-GMO, but some may be produced in natural growth media containing nutrients derived from corn and soy. These nutrients can be difficult to verify as non-GMO. Our probiotic suppliers are in the process of making changes to the growth media used for these probiotics so that the media can be Non-GMO Assured.
