Fruit d'Or, the world's largest grower and processor of organic cranberry and blueberry, has announced that it has received non-GMO verification from the Non-GMO Project, Bellingham, Wash. Both the supplier's conventional cranberry, Cran d'Or, and its organic cranberry, Cran Naturelle, are processed with ingredients from non-GMO origins and are also non-irradiated.

Further, ETO ethylene oxide is not used to sterilize any of the equipment used to process the freshly harvested cranberry material. "And unlike some other cranberry processors and marketers we do not involve any sewage or sludge at any point during the growing or manufacturing," says Stephen Lukawski, vice president of business development, sales and marketing.

"At this point, retailers and consumers expect supplements containing ingredients of natural origin to be totally non-GMO because the idea of synthetic cultivated foods (fruits and vegetables) is of real concern because people do not know how such foods will affect their long-term health and well-being," Lukawski says. "From field to retail to consumer, we are in the business to provide effective, safe and clean cranberry dietary supplements that help consumers achieve their health goals."

Lukawski adds that Fruit d'Or Nutraceuticals has invested significant resources in quality assurance, research and processes to achieve the goal of value differentiation based on quality standardization. "Standardizing quality from seeding through to retail assures safety and efficacy not only for the industry but for consumers," he asserts.   

The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified Non-GMO choices. The non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third-party verification for products produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance. Visit nongmoproject.org for more information. 

"As far as we know, Fruit d'Or Nutraceuticals is the only cranberry supplier working with the Non-GMO Project, and has the only cranberry ingredients that are now certified and verified as non-GMO, which makes for a powerful value-added marketing opportunity," says Lukawski.