Features Crops Vegetables
‘SUNSET’ completes Non-GMO Project certification

Feb. 2,
2010, Kingsville, Ont. — With consumer interest continuing to mount with regards to genetic
modification of fruits and vegetables, Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET® recently
received their Certificate of Compliance for the Non-GMO Project Verification Program.

Feb. 2,
2010, Kingsville, Ont. — With consumer interest continuing to mount with regards to genetic
modification of fruits and vegetables, Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET® recently
received their Certificate of Compliance for the Non-GMO Project Verification Program. The
Non-GMO Project is a standardized program that is based on third-party
verification for products following best practices for GMO avoidance. The
program has been initiated by the North American organic and natural products
industry for companies who want to offer their customers a verified Non-GMO
choice.

“We strictly
rely upon natural plant breeding and Mother Nature to develop our many product
varieties. We are proud to only offer vegetable and fruit products that come
from non-genetically modified sources,” said Joseph R. Darden, PhD,
vice-president, Food Safety.

All Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET products are
started from seed stock that is not genetically modified. Mastronardi does not
work with suppliers that use microbiological or biochemical processes to alter
the genetic expression of any part of the plant or the foods that they produce.

National
polls consistently show that a significant majority of North Americans would
like to be able to tell if the food they are purchasing contains GMOs (a 2008
CBS News Poll found that 87 per cent of consumers wanted GMOs labelled).
According to a recent CBS/New York Times poll, 53 per cent of consumers said
they would not buy food that has been genetically modified. The Non-GMO
Project’s seal for verified products will, for the first time, give the public
an opportunity to make an informed choice when it comes to GMOs.

Mastronardi
Produce/SUNSET will be releasing new packaging and labels later this year that
will display the Non-GMO seal. This seal means that products have been produced
according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance, including all required
testing. “We are proud of the fact that our gourmet greenhouse produce is now
verified Non-GMO,” said company president Paul Mastronardi. “All of our
products are from plant hybrids that reproduce the old-fashioned way – by
natural plant breeding."

Visit www.nongmoproject.org for more information regarding the Non-GMO project.