Are you searching for non-GMO ingredients for your next food manufacturing project?

Whether you’re looking for bulk non-GMO edible oils, browsing other GMO free ingredients, or you’re just trying to understand issues that your customers are passionate about, we want to help.

Here’s a resource listing of our favorite education and tools for industrial food manufacturers going non-GMO.

If your manufacturing company is making the switch to non-GMO oil ingredients for your food products, you’re not alone.

Right now, food manufacturers across the US are busy swapping out the raw ingredients they’ve become familiar with for their non-GMO alternatives.

Others are in the midst of getting their products Non-GMO Project Verified™. To top it off, the majority of Whole Foods vendors are also making the switch to non-GMO ingredients, due to their 2018 cut off date for GMO labeling transparency.

We work with many Whole Foods vendors who manufacture their own natural or specialty food, so we’ve walked through this non-GMO transition process many times already with business just like yours. We also know it can be a bit of a complex change.

To make your new product development process a little bit easier, here’s a step-by-step guide for food manufacturers on how to swap your conventional ingredients out for their Non-GMO counterparts.

Interest in non-GMO oils is on the rise in the food manufacturing industry. Even in restaurants, the use of non-GMO oils is becoming very popular.

Non-GMO Canola Oil is one of the most popular options, given that it’s an easy switch if you’re already using conventional canola or soybean oil.

But did you know there’s a few different kinds of non-GMO canola oil that you’ll need to choose between? The right one for you depends on HOW you’re using it. If you’re using it as an ingredient, regular Non-GMO Canola Oil works great. But, if you’re frying, there’s a premium quality alternative that is (gasp!) actually cheaper in the long run. 

Here’s a few good reasons you will want to switch to this new premium (and healthier) fry oil, High Oleic, Expeller Pressed Non-GMO Canola Oil.

Non-GMO Canola Oil is in high demand by food manufacturers across the US right now. If you’re in purchasing or R&D, you’ve probably noticed this oil’s growth in popularity in the last 2 years.

Why is it so big right now? The non-GMO movement is in full swing in the specialty and natural foods industry, and non-GMO foods are in high demand. Food manufacturers are responding to this demand by building out new organic or non-GMO food lines, or changing the recipes to their much-loved products to make them GMO-free.

Non-GMO Canola Oil is so popular because it’s an easy switch from your current GMO oils, and in comparison, it’s one of the cheapest non-GMO options.

There are lots of decisions to be made when it comes to buying edible oils and fats for your manufacturing company. 

How do you go about beginning to tackle these choices, and make the best moves for your business?

It’s helpful to start the decision process with a little feedback-- peer feedback that is. Understanding what's important to your procurement peers when they buy bulk oils can be helpful. What factors did they look at? What influenced their decisions?

Your peers have been in your shoes and they can provide insight that no one else can– they often hold the key to helping you make the best decisions.

Professional development is about always learning and growing in your role.

Education allows you to improve, and can help achieve your goals the job that you’re already in. It also sets you up to have a better chance at promotions in the future.

Education comes in many forms though. Once in a steady career, classroom education becomes less of a norm, as self-directed learning takes its place. While self-directed learning can mean many things, like webinars, seminars, industry conferences, etc., reading industry books is one of my favorite tools.

Books are great way to stay on top of your self-training all year round and direct your own growth.

The 7 titles below are top rated procurement and purchasing books available on Amazon, written for professionals just like yourself. Explore and enjoy!

I was at Target the other day, buying socks.  They were $4 per pair (when did socks get so expensive, right?).  

They also had a had a pre-packaged set of 4 for $10.  I bought the set.  Why did I make that choice?  Well, they were the same kind of socks and the set was cheaper (for each pair of socks).

It's nice to pay less money for the exact same product.

A similar situation also applies to the bulk oil that you buy.  You can get the same sort of quick and easy savings on oil, without changing a thing about the actual oil that you're buying.  It all has to do with how much oil you're buying.

Change how much you buy, save money.

As a food service sales rep, your can use your industry knowledge and trust to make more sales. Your customers care about low cost, convenience, and receiving a consistent quality and taste.

By helping your customers do true packaging and price comparisons, you can become an advisor for their oil needs. As a natural result, you will make more sales.

This article was originally posted in 2015, and is being re-published in preparation for the new year.

Last year, I ran a half marathon. But I didn’t just go out and do it. I made a 16 week plan of the runs that I was going to do every day, and how I was going to build up to my 13.1 mile finish.

Professional goals are no different than personal goals like these, but professional goal setting often falls by the wayside. It’s important do strategic goal setting, both for your job and for your department -- especially if you manage other people.

Your professional goals also need a plan-- a course of action, or a list of small daily steps you’re going to take to help accomplish these goals. Here’s how to plan for improvement in 2015.

Setting goals is an important step to improving.

There are, of course, a number of different kinds of goals. You have personal goals for your life, and you have professional goals for your job. But they’re always entangled, some taking priority over others depending on the day.

The best way to achieve all of them is to lay them out separately, prioritize them, and then make a plan for how you can achieve every one.

Here’s a smart framework for purchasing managers to complete your goal setting for 2015-- not just for your job but also for your life.

Who you should buy your olive oil from is always a big question-- usually one that restaurant owners and chefs approach in an effort to cut their costs.

But who you buy from doesn’t just determine how much you spend. It also affects how easily you can bring inventory in, store it, access it and a whole slew of other affects on your business.

That being said, it’s important to buy your olive oil from the right kind of supplier. One that fits your needs and can provide real value to you-- not just the lowest price.

Safflower oil is being used more and more in food manufacturing in recent years. Many natural products are being made with safflower and/or sunflower oil.

As a result, many consumers are asking the question: Is safflower oil GMO or non-GMO?

Good question. We’d like to help answer it for you.

There are many different grades of olive oil available. Each each one represents a different level of quality that corresponds to the way that the oil was produced.

But rather than tell you, I’d like to show you. Below is a short slide share presentation that guides you through the process of how the different olive oil grades are made. Click through to read about the process.

The packaging you choose for your raw manufacturing ingredients affects how smoothly and efficiently your production process will run.

If you’re debating between drums or totes, there are 3 parts to decision, and they have to do with how your packaging and production team will interact. If you consider these 3 components thoroughly with your team, you’ll almost automatically walk away with a smart decision.  

The price of olive oil is going up this year. In short, global production is down by 25%, which is causing oil prices to increase around the world. If you use olive oil as a food manufacturing ingredient, this change affects your business and your profit margins.

You probably want to bring your cost of ingredients down -- not up -- right?

This is a common concern and is more challenging to achieve in poor olive harvest seasons. It requires you to look closely at your buying strategy and make some tough business decisions.