Spring Valley, NY April 11, 2013 - Natural Food Certifiers (NFC) announced today that its Apple K Kosher Certification Program will no longer accept applications from manufacturers seeking kosher certification for products that contain GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). The Apple K ”No GMO” policy required for kosher product certification will begin immediately, while currently-certified Apple K products which may contain GMO’s will have 12 months to change their ingredient listing.
Currently, all retail NFC Kosher certified products are organic and therefore do not contain GMO’s.
“By granting certification only to those products which are GMO-free, the Apple K is adhering to the principle of ‘Begin Naturally. Stay that Way,’ stated NFC Founder and Director, Rabbi Reuven Flamer. “NFC was very proud to introduce the first ‘Natural Only’ kosher supervision. Rejecting products that contain GMO’s for kosher certification is a logical addition to our kosher supervision, given the variety of certification and verification programs which NFC offers,” he explained.
“While according to the strict letter of Kosher food law, a GMO food ingredient is not prohibited, it certainly is not natural,” said Rabbi Flamer. He explained, “There is a Torah (religious) based law to ‘guard your health.’ GMO’s are the number one growing concern among health-conscious consumers and for businesses in the natural and organic food markets, as well as in the conventional food industry ,for good reason.”Recent studies show that GMO’s may cause various kinds of health problems from digestive disturbances to food allergies, and that GMO’s require more herbicides.“This is ironic because GMO’s were touted to be so environmentally helpful in the first place,” Flamer commented. “For all of the many reasons that GMO’s raise a red flag, physical and environmental, consumers simply don’t want them in their foods, and our clients want to accommodate their customers.”
NFC recently inaugurated a new GMO product verification program called GMO Guard. NFC’s Food Certification programs include USDA Organic Certification, Kosher Certification (under the “Apple K” label), Vegan Certification and Gluten Guard, a gluten-free assurance program. By offering a portfolio of certification programs valued by natural and organic products consumers, NFC provides cost-effective, simultaneous, turnkey solutions for food manufacturers seeking to assure their customers who are seeking purer quality products than those offered by the mainstream market.
