{"id":192198,"date":"2020-03-30T15:39:38","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T12:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/uncategorized-et-en\/gmo-vaba-toit-lihtsalt-sonakolks\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T23:48:45","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T21:48:45","slug":"gmo-free-pet-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/en\/health\/gmo-free-pet-food\/","title":{"rendered":"GMO-free pet food: meaningful promise or just a slogan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a pet food package or manufacturer’s website says \u201cGMO-free\u201d, what does that actually mean to a customer? Has the manufacturer tested its ingredients in a laboratory? Is there independent certification? Or is the claim based on a supplier’s assurance that its raw materials are non-GMO?<\/p>\n

And what should customers think if the familiar GMO-free statement suddenly disappears from the packaging? Has the recipe or its quality changed, or has the manufacturer changed what it is willing and able to formally substantiate?<\/p>\n

These questions are not nearly as simple as they first appear.<\/p>\n

The use and labelling of genetically modified feed are regulated in the European Union. However, a manufacturer’s voluntary GMO-free claim does not automatically mean the product is independently certified or that every production batch has been laboratory-tested.<\/p>\n

Equally, a lack of independent certification does not automatically make the claim unfounded. Manufacturers can support a non-GMO claim with documentation of ingredient origin, supplier declarations, manufacturing controls and, where appropriate, laboratory analysis.<\/p>\n

The crucial question is not simply whether \u201cGMO-free\u201d appears on the packaging, but what evidence supports it and how the manufacturer can demonstrate that evidence.<\/p>\n

What does GMO-free actually mean?<\/h2>\n

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been changed in a way that does not occur through conventional crossing or natural recombination.<\/p>\n

The EU regulates the use and labelling of genetically modified food and feed. In general, feed that contains genetically modified ingredients, or is produced from them, must be labelled accordingly.<\/p>\n

An exception applies where genetically modified material accounts for no more than 0.9% of the relevant ingredient and its presence is accidental or technically unavoidable. Importantly, this is a threshold for mandatory GMO labelling, not automatic proof that the product is GMO-free.<\/p>\n

There is no single separate EU-wide standard that applies identically to every voluntary GMO-free claim. That does not mean manufacturers may say anything they like: claims about feed must be truthful, understandable and capable of substantiation where necessary.<\/p>\n

Does excluding maize and soy make a food GMO-free?<\/h2>\n

No.<\/p>\n

Maize and soy are among the world’s major genetically modified crops. Genetically modified varieties are also grown in crops such as rapeseed and sugar beet. But that does not mean every maize-, soy- or rapeseed-based ingredient is genetically modified.<\/p>\n

Nor can we assume that a food is GMO-free simply because it contains none of those ingredients. All relevant raw materials and their origins need to be considered.<\/p>\n

Take maize, for example. One manufacturer may exclude it entirely. Another may use maize backed by a supplier’s declaration that it comes from a non-GM crop. These are different sourcing approaches, but maize’s presence or absence alone cannot establish the GMO status of the whole food.<\/p>\n

An ingredient list tells us what a food contains. It does not always tell us how those ingredients were grown or verified.<\/p>\n

How can a manufacturer substantiate a GMO-free claim?<\/h2>\n

If you want to know what lies behind a manufacturer’s GMO-free promise, ask some more specific questions.<\/p>\n

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FendaF’s practical checklist: the GMO-free claim<\/p>\n