FAQs from Consumers
1. What is the origin of Cert ID?
2. What does "'Non-GMO' Certified” mean?
3. How does Cert ID's certification process work?
4. What makes Cert ID a trustworthy third party?
5. If just one ingredient in a multi-ingredient product is Cert ID certified, can the package itself display the Cert ID seal?
6. What is the benefit of having 'Non-GMO' certification, instead of relying upon GMO testing alone?
7. Could a product purchased off the shelf of a grocery store actually contain genetically-engineered components, even though it was tested... to be non-GMO?
8. What exactly does "seed-to-shelf" certification stand for?
9. Can a consumer be sure that organic food is non-GM? If not, why?
10. What is the level of reliability of Cert ID's 'Non-GMO' certification.
11. When a consumer sees the Cert ID seal on a product, what does this mean?
12. What is the result of certification? That is, what assurance does this give a consumer?
13. Certification is not the same as DNA testing. What does this mean to consumers, and why is it good? If DNA testing is not done then what kind of testing is?
14. Who are the testers and inspectors?
15. Does Cert ID also certify animal feed, or just human food? Can milk display the Cert ID seal?
1. What is the origin of Cert ID?
In 1997, after being in business as the world’s first commercial GMO testing laboratory for more than a year, Genetic ID ® was approached by its existing clientele that wished to meet a requirement of their (industrial) customers that they always be able to “prove” what the GMO content of any given product is.
As in the case of traditional soy sauce, the product goes through so many rigorous fermentation processes that no DNA is detectable by the PCR method – be it natural or genetically modified DNA. Highly refined lecithin and soy and other vegetable oils can be equally devoid of any DNA.
Consumers, however, cannot accept a product as "untestable" and insist that a credible third party at least certify that the “DNA-less” product was produced from “GMO-free” stock that was tested when it still contained DNA. At the time, Genetic ID‘s clients felt that, as a PCR lab, the company had built up enough credibility that its word would also count when speaking as a certification body.
After consideration, Genetic ID decided to fulfill their clients’ demand to add the services of a certification body. A Professional with 20+ years in the world of organic certification was hired and, together with a small team, Genetic ID‘s, as yet unnamed, certification standard was developed.
It did not receive the name ‘CERT ID’ until early 1999, after the European retail industry requested a presentation of the "unnamed" program that had been created. In particular, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) was looking to help its members meet the strong demand of European consumers for non-GM products.
Led by British retailers who were soon joined by colleagues from the continental retail and food industries, the program was discussed, representatives of consumer groups were invited for comment and it was finalized. Today CERT ID operates globally as a neutral third-party certification body.
2. What does "'Non-GMO' certified" mean?
Any process guarantee (as opposed to a ‘content guarantee’) given by a non-GM certification standard like CERT ID can only be a matter of definition. CERT ID's defined level is called 'Non-GMO'. The label "GMO-free" would imply that a product is devoid of any GMO material. However, in reality, this is not scientifically verifiable with today’s testing methods. Even in raw material, using the PCR method, the limit of detection is approximately 0.01%. Though this is quite sensitive, it does not, however, constitute material "GMO free".
Another reason to guarantee 'process' and not entirely 'content' is one of statistics. Testing every last bean in a shipment of soybeans would mean that there is nothing left to process afterwards! On top of that, the cost would be unrealistic.
At the request of its European clients and with support from consumer advocacy groups, CERT ID’s assurance level for full 'Non-GMO' certification was set at 0.1%. The process guarantee underwritten by CERT ID for a fully certified product states:
“This product has been produced without genetically modified ingredients, processing aids, additives, flavorings, colorings, or other inputs.”
Production certified by CERT ID should be devoid of GMO content and so a manufacturer must target his production at 0%. The 0.1% threshold is a tribute paid to the possibility of adventitious presence that might occur during shipping, storage, handling and transportation.
3. How does Cert ID’s certification process work?
'Non-GMO' certification by CERT ID can be lenghty, yet straightforward, process involving many different steps that may extend over the span of an entire year. In addition, the way these steps are executed may vary greatly from industry to industry and from client to client. Details of the certification process “from seed to supper” can be studied on our page The Certification Process.
4. What makes Cert ID an independent third party?
The reputation built by Genetic ID as a “global leader in genetic analysis of food and agricultural products” (ADM EM CAMPO, No. 11, May/June 2000, São Paulo, Brazil ) was sufficient to allow its clients to invite Genetic ID to create a 'Non-GMO' certification program. TransGlobal Alliances ID, Inc. the parent of CERT ID, is independently owned: No shares are held or controlled, directly or indirectly, by members of the agricultural, food, retail or biotechnology industries nor by shareholders of consumer advocacy organizations.
5. If just one ingredient in a multi-ingredient product is Cert ID certified, can the package itself display the Cert ID Seal?
Only full CERT ID certification of every ingredient will permit the producer of a consumer food item to display the 'Non-GMO' seal of CERT ID. (And that service, of course, is what a manufacturer likes to provide the most!) However, there is also Ingredient Certification that assures an ingredient, say, lecithin, is produced exclusively from non-GM raw material. In that case, the ingredient supplier and the food manufacturer who uses it may claim 'Non-GMO' for that ingredient, but the CERT ID seal may not be displayed.
6. What is the benefit of having 'Non-GMO' certification, instead of just GMO testing?
The issue with testing is that there is no “waterproof” answer to the consumer who questions, “What assurances do I have that the analysis report actually pertains to a sample from the product that I bought?” In the case of a credible and reputable supplier, their word that a certain lab report ‘X’ pertains to a certain bulk shipment ‘Y’ on the way from Brazil to France may be fully accepted by the industrial buyer in Europe. But that still leaves many questions open as to what adventitious presence may occur during shipping, storage and handling. However, “certification” means that an owner has done its due diligence and had the intent to comply with traceability using Identity Preservation (IP) systems.
For the consumer, Certification means “full” assurance of the 'Non-GMO' status of the product that he or she buys in a store. For the manufacturer, it means that the gap of credibility is bridged in this regard.
7. Could a product purchased off the shelf of a grocery store actually contain genetically engineered components, even though it was tested and claimed to show no GMO was present?
Yes; during production a food product can lose whatever characteristic it initially had that would identify it as being GM or not GM. Because of food processing techniques and current testing technology, many food items can be made with GMO ingredients and not be identified as such. But with the criteria written into the CERT ID standard and with the customized quality assurance measures imposed in each case this is extremely unlikely for products CERT ID certified as 'Non-GMO' to actually contain GMOs. It is neither in the certification client's interest nor in that of CERT ID to be negligent. A food manufacturer’s quality assurance department will make sure that the measures in the production process certified by CERT ID will be adhered to.
'Non-GMO' certification does not begin at the food manufacturer's production plant. It begins on the farm level and includes all stages in between, including loading, transportation and storage. All those links in the food chain are inspected, audited and tested as well. This makes it very difficult for any material with a GM status to slip through.
8. What exactly does "seed to shelf" certification stand for?
Instead of "seed to shelf", one also hears "farm to fork", "dust to dinner" or "seed to supper". They all mean the same: In the CERT ID 'Non-GMO' certification program it describes the application of audits, inspection and state-of-the-art GMO testing from the seed supplier all the way to the food manufacturer of the consumer product, including the grower, the storage and handling, the shipping, the processing and the ingredient distribution, so that the paper trail of fully documented traceability is never interrupted. This "paper trail" is documented by Transaction Certificates of Compliance (TCCs) that are issued by CERT ID. The TCC documents accompany each and every shipment of product that is certified as 'Non-GMO'.
9. Can a consumer be sure that organic food is non-GM? If not, why?
Not always. By definition of organic standards, all food items thus certified should be "GMO-free," but the additional challenges surrounding the entry of genetic engineering in the food production processes are not covered by the measures of any organic certification program in place. Cross contamination in corn (maize) fields, adventitious contamination during transportation or elsewhere is not addressed in a way appropriate to determining GMO presence.
10. What is the level of reliability of Cert ID's 'Non-GMO' certification.
It is very high. Experience has shown more and more that the rigidity of the CERT ID standard and its practical implementation is very successful. No certified product has ever tested positive for GMO
11. When a consumer sees the Cert ID Seal on a product, what does this mean?
The Seal indicates that CERT ID has fully certified this particular product against the CERT ID 'Non-GMO' standard, meaning the maximum GMO content of the product is less than 0.1%.
12. What is the result of certification? That is, what assurance does this give a consumer?
Formally, this means that the maximum percentage of GMO present in the product can be 0.1%. However, in practice it usually means that there was absolutely no GMO content whatsoever, beginning at agricultural level. This is due to the fact that in certified products all potential GMO-containing components were certified, i.e. tested and inspected, from their source of origin.
13. 'Non-GM' Certification is not the same as DNA testing. What does this mean to consumers, and why is it good? If DNA testing is not done, then what kind of testing is?
CERT ID certification of production processes does indeed involve DNA testing but it also involves much more than that.
The testing done on the input level of a soybean uses rapid strip tests that detect certain proteins. These rapid strip tests are employed before the crushing plant's gates. Once this cargo is pre-tested it is unloaded into a buffer stock. A representative sample of this buffer stock is sent for rigid PCR testing. Only PCR-tested raw material is used in the plant.
PCR testing of DNA is the industry standard and in many countries PCR is the only accepted method (see also EU Technical Working Group on GMO Testing, Lisbon meeting, October 5, 1999)
14. Who are the testers and inspectors?
The testers are labs that meet the quality criteria set forth in the CERT ID standard. This does not necessarily mean it has to be a Genetic ID lab, but all members of Genetic ID's Global Laboratory Alliance® operate according to the same analytical methods as the labs of Genetic ID who, in turn, are accredited according to DIN EN ISO 17025. (ISO Certification Guide 65 forbids that a certain lab or method be specified exclusively.)
The inspectors can either be CERT ID employees or professional members of the inspection industry specially trained by CERT ID on location for the purpose of rendering this kind of support to the program.
15. Does Cert ID also certify animal feed, or just human food? Can milk have a Cert ID seal?
A great amount of certification is done on animal feed. In fact, by volume, animal feed accounts for the largest part of certified products. Food products intended for human consumption make up the largest number of individual products. Some of the biggest European supermarket chains insist that animal products sold under their brand label are certified by CERT ID as 'Non-GMO'.
Since early 2004, voices have been heard from political circles as well as from consumer advocacy organizations calling for GMO labeling of animal products if applicable. After all, studies conducted as early as 2001 have shown that plant DNA can be detected in cow's milk up to the stage of pasteurization.
Presumably, this is reason enough for producers of poultry, dairy products etc. to have their products certified by CERT ID as 'Non-GMO' as well.
 Glossary for Consumers
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