What’s in a label?Retailer Perspective

Sarah DobecPublic Relations and

Education Outreach Coordinator

• Organic leader for 30 years• Full service grocery store• Holistic Dispensary• Juice Bar• Vegetarian Deli• Free Nutritional Store Tours• Free Thursday Night Lectures on a variety of health

topics

• Cooking Classes  

Standard or Policy

Artificial preservatives, flavours or Food, Drug & Cosmetic coloursArtificial sweeteners, conventional (non-Organic) sugar, corn-based fructose and conventional beet sugarMeat products containing antibiotics, hormones or preservatives No hydrogenated or mineral oils

GMOs in our packaged grocery food items (within a 1% allowance for derivatives)Fish categorized by SeaChoice as “Avoid”

No eggs from caged hens

Fair Trade policy (in development)

Eco packaging

Label or Verification Used

Ingredient list

Ingredient listCertified OrganicCertified Organic

Ingredient list

Certified Organic NGPVSeachoice

Cage-free

Fair Trade

Earth Choice

Influence of claim on likelihood to purchase

Kosher

Vegan

Lactose free

Gluten-free

Vegetarian

USDA organic certified

Natural / All natural

Non GMO, or non-genetically engineered

Canada organic certified

Free range / grass fed

Local

Made in Canada

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

BC

National

Consumer trust and preference

Non-GMO Project

Components

Designed with a concern for practical solutions to GMO contamination, the Non-GMO Project’s core components are:• Consensus based Standard of best

practices for GMO avoidance

• Third party Product Verification Program

• A “Non-GMO Project Verified” Seal offers transparency & consistency

• A collaborative space within which organizations at every level of the organic and natural food chain can work together to solve problems and meet challenges related to keeping GMOs out of their products.

• Over 11,000+ Verified UPCs• 1,000+ Participating Brands• 217,000+ Fans on Facebook

Fastest growing label in the natural products industry

81% of organic food consumers say they purchase organic food specifically to avoid GMOs.

Organic Consumer Survey (2010)

Challenges Opportunities

Education Education

Label confusion Informed Shoppers

Consumer exhaustion Engagement in choice

Growth of sector

Label pros and cons

Thank you!

thebigcarrot.ca