Dannon, White Wave, N.Y., said its Dannon brand whole milk yogurts and plain quarts, as well as its Danimals smoothies, are now Non-GMO Project Verified. These products will now begin to feature the Non-GMO Project Verified seal with its recognizable butterfly icon. The seal signifies that the products are in compliance with the Non-GMO Project standard and are made with milk from cows fed non-GMO feed.

To qualify for the Non-GMO Project Verified seal, Dannon said it worked closely with its dairy farmer partners and ingredient suppliers to successfully navigate the rigorous evaluation process established by the Non-GMO Project, North America’s most rigorous third-party verification system for non-GMO food and products.

“We hear that consumers increasingly want to know what’s in the products they buy and how they’re made,” said Sergio Fuster, president of DanoneWave’s yogurt team. “One of the ambitions of the Dannon Pledge was to provide consumers with yogurt choices that support the transparency they have been asking for.

“As a subsidiary of DanoneWave Public Benefit Corporation, the largest public benefit corporation in the U.S., we’re making changes to our business to answer that demand,” Fuster added. “One key step is Non-GMO Project verification of select Dannon products.”

Achieving this milestone required Dannon to work with its dairy farmer partners to develop the needed non-GMO feed for cows. An estimated 80,000 acres of U.S. farmland is needed to cultivate the new supply, and Dannon said it has relied on expertise and guidance from Green America to help develop that supply. 

“The scale at which Dannon is working is impressively large, and we are pleased to be able to assist them to find the right partners to work with to ensure that America’s leading yogurt maker continues to bring new choices to shoppers, while deepening their sustainability practices,” said Alisa Gravitz, president and CEO of Green America.

The following Dannon products will soon be available with the Non-GMO Project Verified seal:

• Dannon whole milk yogurt in single-serve (5.3 ounces each), multi-packs and/or 32-ounce sizes in strawberry, strawberry banana, vanilla and peach varieties.
• Dannon plain yogurt quarts in full-fat, low-fat and nonfat varieties.
• Danimals smoothies (3.1 fluid ounces) in multi-packs of six bottles and more —  in a range of flavors, including strawberry, strawberry banana, strawberry kiwi, cotton candy, raspberry, and orange cream varieties.

The move is part of a commitment Dannon announced in April 2016 to a range of progressive practices focused on sustainable agriculture, transparency and naturality that enables the company to offer consumers more of what they want in terms of yogurt choices, Dannon said.