Ulrick & Short, the British owned supplier of clean label starches, proteins, fibers and flours into the food industry has become the first UK company to secure Ohne Gentechnik certification, the German Government-backed programme which advocates the labelling of non-genetically modified foods.
Certification allows products to be labelled ‘Ohne Gentechnik’ (without genetic engineering) in Germany and the move by Ulrick & Short will enable them to have a competitive edge in the German market, where consumers are sensitive over GM content in food. This means that German manufacturers who wish to make their own Ohne Gentechnik claims on final product can use Ulrick & Short ingredients knowing that they are already compliant.
Ulrick & Short is already certified to the Cert ID Europe non-GMO standard so securing Ohne Gentechnik status was a straightforward process. Cert ID Europe, the leading non-GM certification organisation, was approved as the first UK certification body for Ohne Gentechnik earlier this year, with Ulrick & Short being the first UK company they have certified against the standard.
Adrian Short, Director at Ulrick & Short said: “We’re delighted to achieve further recognition for our on-going commitment to supplying only clean label, non-GM ingredients to food manufacturers across the world. Although genetic modification developments are in the news daily, we are confident that there will always be a demand for non-GM food ingredients such as ours, and this accreditation will doubtless give us further credibility in our European markets.”
Richard Werran, Managing Director of Cert ID Europe said: “Whether it is cars or food, German consumers have always been passionate about quality. In 2008 the German Government decided to support consumer choice with regard to GMOs and launch Ohne Gentechnik. The scheme has been a resounding success with more and more food producers subscribing to the programme. Forward thinking companies like Ulrick & Short who are already savvy about clean label and non GM for example, have seen the opportunities that a scheme such as this offers them when exporting to Germany and we are delighted that they have secured our first UK certification.”
