Pureharvest strongly supports sustainable agriculture and organic farming.

We are thus opposed to the proliferation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our foods and have taken the following policy position:

• We support a moratorium on the use of GMOs until in-depth research on their long-range consequences has been completed.
• We support the consumer’s right to know and hold that all products containing any GMO ingredient should be labelled as such.
• We support the establishment of GMO-free standards and a certification process.
• We support organic standards and support the need to establish an independent standard and process for the verification of non-GMO status for agricultural products.
• We are committed to working with our suppliers to provide GMO-free products.
• We support the education of consumers of the presence of genetically modified products in the food supply.
• We support organizations working to educate consumers about GMOs.

We believe that the cultivation of genetically modified organisms and their inclusion in our food supply poses a serious threat to human, animal and environmental health and is therefore fundamentally contrary to our vision of a healthy and sustainable future.

We define GMOs as those foods and products that are made with techniques that alter the molecular or cell biology of an organism by means that are not possible under natural conditions or processes. As such, GMOs may contain substances that have never been part of the food chain.

The government has approved GM crops for commercial use based on safety studies conducted by the same companies who developed the organisms. In many other countries around the world, GMOs are not considered to be safe and are therefore significantly restricted or banned outright.

Concerns about the health and environmental impacts of GM foods are growing, and include concerns about food allergies, the increased application of pesticides on GMO crops, the possible creation of “Super” weeds or diseases that do not respond to current counter measures and may devastate future crops, and the impact on ecosystems including insects and neighbouring crops.