How We’re Doing on Our Plan to Remove GMOs

In June 2015, we removed GMO ingredients from all of our products. In 2016, we went a step further: promising to take GMOs out of our entire supply chain and seeking third-party verification for all of our products. As part of that commitment, we unveiled our first Non-GMO Project Verified products: Applegate Organics^® Chicken Nuggets and Applegate Organics^® Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets.

We’re deep into 2017, and happy to report that by the end of this year, the number of Applegate third-party verified Non-GMO products will reach 30 AND our entire product line (all 140 +) will be verified by 2020. You can search our website for Non-GMO Project Verified products.

Many ask why we’ve taken this on as part of our mission of Changing The Meat We Eat®.

Because it’s just the right thing to do for our consumers when there are so many unanswered questions.

Are GMOs bad? Are GMOs unsafe? Are GMOs unhealthy?

We don’t think the answers are as easy as “yes” or “no” - many scientists say GMOs are safe, many disagree. But, almost everyone in the scientific community believes more research is needed.

That’s why we're erring on the side of caution and taking GMOs out of all points of our supply chain – from the feed that goes to the animals to the final ingredients that go into our food. We’ve always been about transparency, traceability and “clean” food. Taking GMOs out of our entire system is a continuation of what we announced back in June 2015.

It hasn’t been easy, especially since a vast majority – over 90 percent – of the food grown for animals in the United States is GMO, but we’re happy to have an end date on the board, 2020! Visit this Dashboard within our Mission section to track our progress as we continue on the journey. Here you will learn about the other commitments we’re making to continue Changing The Meat We Eat®.