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Glossary for Consumers
Adventitious Presence
In the case of 'Non-GMO' production, this refers to the accidental introduction of genetically modified (GM) material or ingredients to a 'Non-GMO' product line. This can happen, for example, during processing, shipping, or through the mislabeling of lot numbers and improper cleaning of equipment.
CERT ID ‘Non-GMO’ Seal
The CERT ID 'Non-GMO' Seal consists of the Seal itself, above the term 'Non-GMO' and the URL of this website (www.cert-id.com). In agreement with CERT ID, the term 'Non-GMO' may be substituted by an equivalent in another language, e.g.'Não-OGM' or 'Não-Transgênico'’ (both are Portuguese), ‘'Non-OGM'’ (French) or ‘'Non-GVO'’ (German).
Cert ID 'Non-GMO' Standard
This is, in written form, the “degree or level of requirement, excellence, or attainment” (The American Heritage® Dictionary) all certified clients of CERT ID have to comply with if they want to become certified as ‘Non-GMO’ and have their products show the ‘Non-GMO’ Seal. The Cert ID Standard consists of several modules that pertain to different industries, such as agricultural producers, food manufacturers, infrastructure (ports, warehouses) etc.
Certification
To certify something means to assure or to confirm that something is true. Certification, as used in CERT ID Certification, means that CERT ID, as a third party certification body, assures that the systems or products certified comply with the criteria that are laid down in a written Standard.
Certification Committee
A group of individuals that are not involved in the inspection or auditing of a particular client make up this committee. Based on the inspectors’ report and other data, they decide whether an application for CERT ID certification meets all requirements for certification.
Contamination
The possibility of "making something impure or unclean by contact or mixture" is something that is central to the risk assessment within CERT ID 'Non-GMO' certification. The question that is always present is this: How high is the risk of adventitious contamination at a given point in the production or handling chain?
Besides this type of accidental contamination, intentional contamination by way of mixing is also possible. Certain jurisdictions with labeling regulations, such as the European Union, do permit a certain level of adventitious contamination, but intentional contamination is ruled out, even if it stays below the labeling threshold.
This is also recognized, for instance, by the national regulations of many countries, including all EU member states, which require that a production system must meet “all reasonable precautions”. Legislation in all countries recognizes that as long as human or technical error is possible, true perfection in the system may be unattainable.
Content Guarantee
The 'Non-GMO' assurance given by CERT ID is not a content guarantee but a process guarantee. This means that CERT ID assures that the systems the company’s inspectors have audited comply with the CERT ID Standard and can produce product that complies with the CERT ID Standard as well – with a GMO content well below 0.1%. No certifier can guarantee that every grain, kernel or bean meets this requirement at all times.
Dioxin Scandal
This term refers to a feed scandal back in 1999 (see story) that involved a small amount of motor oil accidentally spilled into animal feed in Belgium. This event marks the beginning of a series of food scares that has seriously undermined consumer confidence in some food products – far beyond the borders of Belgium and even Europe.
DNA [DeoxyriboNucleic Acid]
A nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell. DNA consists of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine (A) and thymine (T) or cytosine (C) and guanine (G). The sequence of nucleotides determines individual hereditary characteristics. (The American Heritage®, Dictionary) – In a plant or animal it is these individual hereditary characteristics in the DNA that are modified. Products derived from them are called genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Food Safety
For consumers, safety is the most important ingredient of their food. Past crises have undermined public confidence in the capability of the food industry and of public authorities to ensure that food is safe. Governing bodies, such as the European Commission, have identified food safety as one of their top priorities.
Food safety today usually means modernizing legislation and industry practice according to a coherent and transparent set of rules, reinforcing controls from the farm to the table and increasing the capability of the scientific advice system, so as to guarantee a high level of human health and consumer protection.
Global Laboratory Alliancesm
The Global Laboratory Alliance (GLA), initiated by Genetic ID, establishes uniform quality standards in GMO testing worldwide. With expert laboratories strategically located around the world, the GLA is a powerful force serving the food and agricultural industries with accurate, reliable GMO testing.
It was established to respond to the urgent need of the industry for standardized, reliable GMO testing around the world. With its comprehensive network of laboratories, the GLA ensures standardized testing wherever products are marketed. By working around the world with GLA laboratories, and making sure that their customers work with GLA labs, suppliers can be confident that GMO assessment of their products will be consistent, reliable, and based on the highest standards of science. In addition, the testing protocols used by GLA laboratories are designed to comply with regulatory requirements around the world, and are backed up by Genetic ID's broad knowledge of regulatory developments related to GMOs. Through the GLA, Genetic ID can help its clients address regulatory issues wherever they operate.
GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)
Sometimes also referred to as GM (genetically modified) or GMF (genetically modified food) or GE (genetically engineered); similar abbreviations exist in other languages.
GMO Testing
Analyses of samples of food or agricultural products for the presence, quantity or type of GMOs. PCR, which tests for DNA is the only testing method approved by CERT ID as a basis for certification. However, strip tests which look for certain proteins may also be used at early stages of agricultural production in order to reject possible GMO input into a production process.
GMO Traceability
General traceability, in force in the European Union since 18 April 2004, stipulates the requirement for operators to label products containing or made from GMOs.
Accordingly, food and ingredients must be labeled ...
if they consist of, contain or are made from a genetically modified organism - e.g. a plant ;
and if this modified organism can be detected in the finished food product.
However, some food ingredients are processed so deeply that even the most delicate PCR testing is sometimes unable to distinguish whether they were produced from genetically modified or from conventional plants. This is due to the DNA being destroyed during the processing and therefore, no DNA can be extracted for testing.
Therefore, the new EU Regulations state that food, feed, ingredients and additives must be labeled
if they are or consist of a genetically modified organism
or if they have been made from genetically modified organisms - regardless of whether these can be detected in the food/feed or not.
Labeling independent of detection is possible only if the information about the application of genetically modified organisms is handed down the entire production chain - from the producer to the retailer. The EU Regulation requires that the food industry and at least the suppliers of raw materials for the feed industry set up appropriate traceability systems.
Inspector (also: authorized Inspector)
CERT ID uses inspectors to carry out on-site audits and inspections worldwide. Individuals assigned to these tasks are either CERT ID employees or specially selected and trained to conduct this type of work. They have to meet certain criteria laid down in the CERT ID Standard in order to receive written CERT ID approval as authorized inspectors.
All authorized certification inspectors working for CERT ID are demonstrably impartial and independent evaluators of client compliance with the CERT ID Standard.
IP (also: Identity Preservation)
Legislators of several countries have satisfied consumer and industry demands by enacting mandatory labeling laws for foods containing ingredients derived from genetically modified crops. To comply with these labeling laws, food manufacturers must be able to document the genetic purity of both GM and non-GM ingredients. This can be accomplished by preserving the identity of a crop from seed to final product (Identity Preservation or IP) and by thus enabling the various players in a supply chain to document traceability. This means being able to trace back from the final product to the crops from which ingredients were manufactured.
Traceability is not possible without existing IP systems. They require that manufacturers have a complete understanding of the supply chain for primary and secondary ingredients and blends. New specifications must be developed with well-defined expectations regarding purity and handling. Audit systems must be created to ensure compliance by farmers, grain elevators, processors, ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers.
IP Systems
Production or handling systems where IP (Identity Preservation) has been implemented.
Labeling Threshold
Level of GMO content of consumer products, as defined by some governments, above which a label on the packaging must indicate that the product inside contains GMOs.
Food products, feedstock and additives made from raw materials that usually contain a mix of normal and genetically modified plants must be labeled. Only unintentional ("adventitious"), technically unavoidable admixtures are exempt.
Ingredients or additives made from soy or maize (corn) raw materials must always be labeled if they are derived from crop that is genetically modified. The content level is irrelevant.
Those admixtures of genetically modified plants that are adventitious or unintentional can remain unlabeled ...
if their share in the respective volume of the relevant ingredient is not above 0.9%
and the respective manufacturer can show evidence that the admixture is adventitious, technically unavoidable and that he tried to procure "GM-free" raw materials. Intentional blends are principally not exempt from labeling.
'Non-GMO'
CERT ID refrains entirely from using terms such as "GMO-free", "GE-free" etc., terms that would imply a 100% absence of GMOs. Certification to a 0.0% GMO content threshold is impossible for two reasons, each one being sufficient on its own:
(1) GMO testing can only be conducted with representative samples, never with an entire lot. (Otherwise nothing would be left for consumption.)
(2) The PCR testing method for GMOs is able to test to detection limits as low as between 0.1% and 0.01%, depending on the tested material. It does not “reach” as low as 0.0%.
At the same time, CERT ID endeavors to enable its Clients to attain a production output that is, in fact, as “free” of GMOs as possible. This is accomplished by rigid input testing for GMOs as well as by certifying to a rigorous Standard that ensures a minimization of contamination risks throughout the entire IP chain.
In any event, CERT ID's 'Non-GMO' certification stands for a maximum GMO content of 0.1%.
PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
The DNA amplification method whose inventor, Kary Banks Mullis, received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993. In more scientific detail, PCR is a “technique for amplifying DNA sequences in vitro by separating the DNA into two strands and incubating it with oligonucleotide primers and DNA polymerase. It can amplify a specific sequence of DNA by as many as one billion times and is important in biotechnology, forensics, medicine, and genetic research” (The American Heritage® Dictionary). This ability to amplify DNA molecules millions of times in a rather short period enables a lab testing for GMOs to produce reliable test results from as few as two molecules extracted from a testing sample.
Process Guarantee
The 'Non-GMO' assurance given by CERT ID is a process guarantee, as opposed to a content guarantee. This means that CERT ID assures that the systems the company’s inspectors have audited comply with the CERT ID Standard and can produce product that complies with the CERT ID Standard as well, with a GMO content well below 0.1%. No certifier can guarantee that every grain, kernel or bean meets this requirement at all times.
Sampling Protocol
Most CERT ID Certification Plans contain a description of where, when and how samples of product to be certified are to be drawn and treated subsequently. This procedural code is called sampling protocol.
StarLink® Incident
This event in June 2000 involved a genetically engineered corn (maize) variety approved in the U.S.A. for animal consumption only. Lab tests showed that it was found in a brand of taco shells, a type of Mexican food, offered in retail stores.
It was soon apparent, through sampling and testing in many locations throughout the U.S., that StarLink corn was present all over the country. The final result was a recall project that, at one point, brought the American corn logistics to a complete standstill for a day or two.
The price tag on all of this for the companies involved soon grew into billions of dollars. More IP systems and traceability would have reduced these costs considerably.
StarLink™ is a trademark of Aventis CropScience
System Certification
This general certification bears in mind the principles of EU Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the EU Parliament and of the Council about General Principles of Food Law of January 28, 2002. It serves as a platform on which Process Certification can be established. One of its main aspects is the presence of traceable IP.
The EC regulation No 178/2002 is also available here.
TCC [Transaction Certificate of Compliance]
Industrial buyers of 'Non-GMO' certified material usually have to pay their suppliers a premium for the extra quality assurance. This plus their obvious interest in documentation of the 'Non-GMO' status of the products they receive necessitate that CERT ID issue documents for each shipment of certified material, called Transaction Certificates of Compliance (TCC).
All TCCs bear a number that is the key to all traceability information pertaining to the respective shipment. (sample TCC)
Third-Party Certification
Certification of any product does not change the product physically in any way. Certification assures that certain quality-improving measures are taken in processing a product and can add value to the certified product. Such certification makes sense only if provided by a so-called third party, i.e. an organization that is neither the manufacturer nor supplier of the product nor a consumer advocacy group.
Traceability
Legislators of several countries have satisfied consumer and industry demands by enacting mandatory labeling laws for food and feed products containing GMO ingredients. In order to comply with these labeling laws, food manufacturers must be able to document the genetic purity of both GM and non-GM ingredients. This can be accomplished by preserving the identity of a crop from seed to final product (Identity Preservation or IP) and by thus enabling the various players in a supply chain to document traceability. This means being able to trace back from the final product to the crops from which ingredients were manufactured.
Traceability is not possible without existing IP systems. They require that manufacturers have a complete understanding of the supply chain for primary and secondary ingredients and blends. New specifications must be developed with well-defined expectations regarding purity and handling. Audit systems must be created to ensure compliance by farmers, grain elevators, processors, ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers.
Since the coming into force of Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003 in the European Union, the term of "adventitious or technically unavoidable" GMO contamination has assumed a special relevance. This Regulation is about the traceability and the labeling of products containing GMOs or made from them. Products with a GMO content in excess of a certain threshold (labeling threshold) must be labeled as containing GMOs. Even if this threshold is not exceeded, a product must be labeled if the GMO contamination was not "adventitious or technically unavoidable".
 GMO Links and Resources
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