Dive Brief:
- Smart Balance has announced that it is working on eliminating GMO ingredients from its line of buttery spreads, with some of the products arriving in stores this month to be GMO-free.
The new product will bear a prominent "non-GMO" label and pledge, pointing consumers to additional product facts and information atwww.SmartBalance.com/nonGMO. A full retail conversion to non-GMO Smart Balance spreads is expected by early summer.
Non-GMO Smart Balance is made from expeller-pressed oils from non-GMO seeds. The move to non-GMO ingredients will result in the conversion of more than 20 million pounds of oils to non-GMO.
Dive Insight:
Smart Balance’s move away from GMO ingredients reflects a larger trend from food manufacturers to comply with consumer demand. As we saw in8 ways food companies said 'no' to GMOnon-GMO food sales continue to grow, so it only makes sense that food manufacturers are now jumping on the bandwagon, given the projections for future food sales as more and more consumers clamor for products that are free of GMO ingredients. Stephen Hughes, chairman and CEO of Boulder Brands, parent company to the Smart Balance Brand, confirms that Smart Balance is responding to that consumer demand : "Consumers are communicating strong desire for more transparency in their food ingredients, and that is leading to a growing demand for non-GMO products.” Smart Balance brand Natural Peanut Butter already has non-GMO ingredients, and Smart Balance is evaluating the possibility of shifting other products, like mayonnaise dressing, cooking spray, and cooking oils, to non-GMO ingredients.
