ACE Bakery®, a Canadian artisan bakery, announced that it has attained Non-GMO Project Verification™ for its line-up of full size baguettes. ACE® Baguettes bearing the Non-GMO Project Verified seal will appear across Canada beginning early February 2016.

The verification was awarded by The Non-GMO Project™, the leading industry-recognized authority in North America. The verification indicates that the team at ACE Bakery has completed the process of confirming that the five simple, premium ingredients that have always been used in the ACE Baguette are not sourced from genetically modified crops.

“Since 1993, ACE Bakery has been committed to baking artisan breads of the highest quality with ingredient transparency and traceability being of utmost importance,” says Roy Benin, President of ACE Bakery. “Pursuing Non-GMO Verification was a natural next step for us, providing an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to customers while also highlighting our leadership in the category.”

Verification of the ACE Baguette represents the first phase of ACE Bakery’s plan to verify their artisan portfolio by the end of 2016.

GMO, the acronym for Genetically Modified Organism, refers to engineering the genetic make-up of an organism, either by deleting or adding DNA. There is a great deal of concern with the existence of GMO’s in the foods people consume. The Non-GMO Project Verified seal means that a product has been produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance, including testing of risk ingredients. The program systematically provides for the evaluation of products, ingredients and manufacturing facilities to determine compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard.

“Research indicates that choosing food items that are Non-GMO Verified is the second biggest priority for consumers while shopping - even more important than purchasing items that are local and organic,” adds Sophia Rouleau, Marketing & Communications Manager for ACE Bakery. “We pride ourselves in leading and innovating, while at the same time ensuring our commitment to the highest quality artisan baking”. The ACE Baguette is one of Canada’s most recognized and consumed artisanal baguettes. Celebrated as ACE Bakery’s first product, the recipe including flour, water, salt, yeast and malted barley flour has not changed since the company’s founding in 1993 by Martin Connell and Linda Haynes in Toronto. “Achieving the Non-GMO Verification on our iconic baguette was a labour of love for the entire ACE Bakery team,” exclaims Marcus Mariathas, ACE Bakery Master Baker. “We are pleased to be officially acknowledged for responsibly sourcing our ingredients and for adhering to best baking processes, like unapologetically refusing to use preservatives or dough conditioners.”