Bumble Bee becomes first big non-GMO tuna brand

Bumble Bee Foods became the first major American canned tuna supplier to sell Non-GMO Project Verified canned tuna.

The San Diego, Calif.-based brand said this week that its canned Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water and in Solid White Albacore Tuna in Oil is now Non-GMO Project Verified, and the company has plans to certify the rest of its canned and pouch tuna products by the end of the year.

Dave Melbourne, senior vice president of consumer marketing and corporate social responsibility for Bumble Bee, said the move is simply a response to consumers seeking more information about where their food comes from and how it is made.

“We know shoppers today are looking for affordable and nutritious protein with clean ingredients free from genetic engineering,” Melbourne said. Bumble Bee has also switched to using sea salt across all canned tuna products as part of its move to “clean labeled” products that contain as few ingredients as possible.

While Bumble Bee is the first major U.S. canned tuna supplier to achieve non-GMO Project Verified certification, several smaller suppliers representing 88 different tuna products also carry the seal.

Other brands with non-GMO Project Verified certification include: Target’s Simply Balanced brand, Whole Foods Market’s 365 Everyday Value brand, Sprouts Farmers Market brand, Wild Planet, Tree of Life, Orca Bay, Natural Sea and Safe Catch.

Meanwhile, Bumble Bee launched its Trace My Catch traceability website for tuna products last fall. The initiative has now been expanded to include salmon, sardines and clam products.

Consumers can visit BumbleBee.com/tracemycatch to track the path their Bumble Bee seafood product takes in order to get from the ocean to their plate by entering a code found on the can or pouch. The site educates consumers about their product, providing information such as where their fish was caught, the type of species, fishing method, processing location and more.

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