The world’s largest spice company has reported that by the year 2016, it will be almost completely non-GMO and organic. It seems the clean food movement has gained another victory. Companies like Simply Organic have grown because of the non-GMO and organic food boom, and the consumer’s support for cleaner options. The largest spice company in the world continues to be McCormick. To prevent other companies from stealing their market share, McCormick is now making a surprising move.

McCormick to Officially Go Organic, and Soon GMO-Free

Reportedly, the company made an announcement that the vast majority of its herbs and spices will be non-GMO and organic by 2016. In other words, 80 percent of McCormick products will meet the new standard. There will be new labels with more than 70 percent displaying the “non-GMO” sign. Although many spices and herbs of this company are already non-GMO, the elevated transparency should be a selling point for many customers, in the same way as it was for those who became Non-GMO Project Verified. Besides a new non-GMO vanilla extract, McCormick will introduce many other organic flavorings and spices to compete with its rivals in the US. According to the news release, the announcement of the company comes right before the peak fall holiday and cooking season, where the usage of spices, herbs, and extracts in recipes increases.

Is it a Healthier Option?

A lot of spice companies use irradiation to make their products “safer” for the customers. The old spice companies are likely to offer irradiated spices, so be careful when buying them. However, there are options for those who want to avoid irradiated spices, such as Frontier, Simply Organic, and McCormick. Another treatment other than radiation in the production of spices is steam treatment. Although some believe that using this treatment harms the taste of spices even more than the treatments with radiation, McCormick opts for it as it preserves more of the spices’ health benefits. We don’t say McCormick Company is perfect, far from that, but we praise any company that takes the steps like this company, making them a potentially better and healthier option than other similar brands. Via I-eat Green | Food Dive | Food Safety News