Stonewall Kitchen to Label GMO Products

Award-winning specialty food manufacturer and retailer Stonewall Kitchen announced plans for a product label update and rollout to comply with the mandatory Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Labeling Law from Vermont that goes into effect on July 1.

“While 90 percent of the items we self-produce are already non-GMO, we are currently working through a process to update labels for products that contain genetically modified ingredients, such as corn or soy,” said Janine Somers, director of marketing. “New products launching in June with those ingredients will be in compliance.  Updated labels for existing products that include GMOs will hit store shelves on a rolling basis as soon as possible.

“We are actually going one step further than the Vermont law even requires,” said Somers. “For many of our products, we’ll highlight the specific GMO-containing items like corn meal, soya oil, cornstarch or beet sugar in the ingredient list. That way our consumers know exactly which ingredients are the source of GMOs in the product.”  

Added John Stiker, CEO of Stonewall Kitchen, “After 20 years of research, every major health and safety agency in the world agree that GMOs are not a health or safety concern. At the same time, it’s clear that some of our guests want to know whether their products contain GMOs or not, and the state of Vermont is now mandating it on our product labels. 

“While we’re very eager to be transparent with our consumers,” he said, “we’re also hopeful that a federal solution will be reached in a timely manner so we don’t have to comply with the impossible task of a patchwork of labeling laws from each of the 50 states.”  

Stonewall Kitchen is a leading specialty food producer headquartered in York, Maine. Founded in 1991 by partners Jonathan King and Jim Stott, the two began selling jams and jellies at local farmers’ markets, fairs and festivals. Over time, they expanded their product line to include sauces, condiments, mustards and baking mixes. 

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Stonewall Kitchen is known for its innovative product development, beautiful packaging, stunning retail spaces and customer service. Stonewall Kitchen has 10 retail company stores along the East Coast, thriving catalog and web divisions, a successful wholesale business making products available in more than 8,000 locations nationwide and a growing staff.