Organic Food Producers Say “Non-GMO” Foods May Be Cheaper, But They Are Not Equivalent To Organic

Although one might expect that the “non-GMO” label on foods was more or less equivalent to “organic”, it’s not. In fact, the organic foods industry is very concerned that consumers are weighing the two claims on the pocketbook scale and organic, because it costs more, gets left on the shelf. Organic food costs more because it costs more to grow organically: without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Organic foods cannot legally contain GMO ingredients, but non-GMO does not necessarily mean organic. A spokesman for an organic foods producer said non-GMO labels "definitely" are diverting some consumers away from organic food. He called it "trading down”.