How do you know if your company should switch to non-gmo ingredients and get Non-GMO Project Verified™?
The general rule is that if you’re selling to the natural or whole foods sector, you should make the switch. Your marketing department will probably fight the cause for going non-GMO, because it helps maintain sales in places like Whole Foods, and because those ingredients appeal to your target market. In cases like this, your sourcing decisions have also become a form of PR or social procurement.
If you’re weighing the pros and cons right now for your company, understanding some hard facts about how many consumers are looking at non-gmo products, and what the rest of the natural industry is doing may help you decide.
Non-GMO Consumer Trends
ABC News recently surveyed consumers to understand more about how they feel about generically modified ingredients. Here’s what they found:
93% of consumers surveyed felt that GMO labeling should be required throughout the nation.
57% of consumers say that they are less likely to buy a food that contains GMOs.
52% of consumers said they’d be more likely to buy a food that is grown organically.
49% of men state that they’re less likely to buy a food that contains GMOs.
65% of women state that they’re less likely to buy a food that contains GMOs.
40% of men think that GMOs are unsafe to eat.
62% of women think that GMOs are unsafe to eat.
First off, let’s look closely at the percentage of people that feel GMO labeling should be required on a national basis. 93%! This number is staggeringly high, and is probably a good indication of where the nation is moving in the future.
As you can see from the gender specific statistics above, genetically modified foods have a particularly tough rap with women. This can be a challenge for food brands, since women typically still do the grocery shopping in most homes. With the purchasing power for a full family, that means there’s a higher percentage of consumers that are avoiding GMOs than a simple average of the male and female numbers above.
Non-GMO Trends Of The Natural Food Industry
On the other hand, it will also help you make an informed decision if you can see what your competitors are choosing and the trends of the natural food industry.
Here’s some statistics on the growth of the non-GMO food channel. This will give you a bit of insight as to what your industry is doing, so that you can figure out what’s the best move for your own company.
Growth of the sale of Non-GMO Project Verified™ products was 99% in 2013, as compared to organic products which grew at a rate of 12% and conventional (GMO) products which grew at a rate of 2.3%.
Total sales of Non-GMO Project Verified products grew from $2.2 billion in 2011 to $7 billion in 2013.
70-80 new companies inquire with the Non-GMO Project™ to become Non-GMO Project Verified every week.
There are currently more than 27,000 products that are Non-GMO Project Verified.
19% of total food and beverage sales in 2013 were naturally non-gmo.
Non-GMO Project Verified products made up only 1% of total food and beverage sales in 2013. This 1% was specifically products that were not naturally GMO free that must be swapped and audited to become verified.
Survey Source: This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone June 13-17, among a random national sample of 1,024 adults.
Topics: Non-GMO
