California Testing for GMOs in Organic Food
California is a frontrunner in organic sales and acreage, and now they’re pioneering testing for GMOs in organic food. Yes, we have national regulations in place, to verify what’s organic, but actual testing for GMOs in organic food isn’t part of those regulations.
For our state’s organic farmers who are used to the way we already test for pesticide residues, this pilot project will follow similar protocols, with the exception that samples collected and tested during the pilot project will be “blind” – that is, the results will be collected in aggregate form to show us whether and how much GMO material is present in our crops overall, without identifying individual farms or farmers. That’s because the goal of the project is simply to gain a basic understanding of the presence and extent of any GMOs in the state’s organic crops. To ensure uniformity of the testing process, all sample collection will be done by CDFA staff during the pilot project.
California Leading the Way in Testing…
Given how GMO seed can spread sometimes unknowingly, this testing seems to be an effective measure in keeping GMO contamination in check.
A final report on the findings from the pilot will be issued upon completion of the project, estimated to be late in 2016. These findings would be used by COPAC and the SOP to determine whether and how to proceed with any further work in this arena.
It’s important to be mindful that the growers themselves stepped forward to make this happen. That kind of commitment and initiative is worth noticing.
We’ll definitely keep our eye on this project and report its findings…
To read this article in its entirety, go to http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=9606
