In just over one year since the Dannon Pledge was announced, Dannon has successfully transformed how it’s making yogurt and announced its Dannon® brand Whole Milk Yogurts and Plain Quarts as well as Danimals® Smoothies as 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 these 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 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. 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 US, we’re making changes to our business to answer that demand. One key step is Non-GMO Project verification of select Dannon products,” said Sergio Fuster, President of DanoneWave’s yogurt team. “By working closely with organizations like the Non-GMO Project, we’re offering consumers more food choices that match their preferences.”
 
“At the Non-GMO Project, we’re dedicated to building and protecting a non-GMO food supply and providing consumers with non-GMO choices. Aligning with a large and respected brand like Dannon is an incredible opportunity to inspire change across the industry to provide more non-GMO food choices to US consumers,” said Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the Non-GMO Project.
 
Achieving this major 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 US farmland is needed to cultivate the new supply, and Dannon 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. A new video available now at www.DannonPledge.com produced by Dannon includes some of the pioneering farmers working with Dannon to serve the evolving preferences of consumers.
 
Dannon products soon to be available with the Non-GMO Project Verified seal include:
 
• Dannon Whole Milk Yogurt
        - Available in single-serve (5.3-ounce each), multi-packs and/or 32 oz sizes in Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Vanilla and Peach varieties.
    
• Dannon Plain Yogurt Quarts
        - Available in full fat, lowfat and nonfat varieties.
    
• Danimals Smoothies (3.1 fluid ounces)
        - Available in multi-packs of six bottles and more (3.1 fl oz each serving) in a range of flavors, including Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Kiwi, Cotton Candy, Raspberry, and Orange Cream varieties.
 
Announced in April 2016, the Pledge is Dannon’s commitment to a range of progressive practices focused on sustainable agriculture, transparency and naturality, which enables the company to offer consumers more of what they want in terms of yogurt choices. DanoneWave’s portfolio of Non-GMO Project Verified products is growing, in addition to DanoneWave’s organic brands, such as Horizon and Earthbound Farm. The select Dannon and Danimals products that now carry the Non-GMO Project Verified seal join the Silk and So Delicious brands that have proudly carried this label for years.