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.
ABC News recently surveyed consumers to understand more about how they feel about generically modified ingredients. Here’s what they found:
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.
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.
Survey Source: This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone June 13-17, among a random national sample of 1,024 adults.