The Non-GMO Project Standard v16.1 has been published.

An Urgent Standard Revision was recently conducted, resulting in Version 16.1 of the Standard (v16.1).

The Non-GMO Project’s Terms of Reference allows for two types of Special Standard Revisions: 1) Revisions to Appendices B and C and 2) Urgent Standard Revision. The Standards Committee or Standards Oversight Committee may initiate Special Standard Revisions within or outside of the regularly scheduled revision cycle. According to the Terms of Reference, public comments are not required during Special Standard Revisions to allow the Project to keep pace with emerging issues surrounding GMOs. However, we welcome public comments on v16.1 during the 60-day public comment period. All comments received will be considered during the next Regular Standard Revision.

Changes were made to the following sections:

• Version 16.1 Section 1 Introduction was altered to include compliance with all Program Documents (The Non-GMO Project Standard, The Non-GMO Project Program Rules and Procedures, The Non-GMO Project Trademark Use Guide, and The Non-GMO Project Trademark License and Program Participation Agreement).
• Version 16 Section 2.1.2.b was struck from v16.1 and further addressed in The Non-GMO Project Program Rules and Procedures. A new version of The Non-GMO Project Program Rules and Procedures, Version 1.1, was released on March 31, 2023.
• Version 16.1 Section 2.2.3.e was altered to clarify the prohibition on goods derived from Synthetic Biology (uppercase and defined in v16.1 Appendix A) and goods publicly represented as synthetic biology (lowercase).
• Version 16.1 Section 6.5.2 was altered to further define competency for analysts conducting and interpreting immunological tests.
• Version 16.1 Sections 6.5.3.a.i and 6.5.3.a.ii were updated to reflect recent changes to the interpretation of immunological test results.

The Project is opening a 60-day public comment period to gather feedback from stakeholders on the changes present in v16.1. The comment period begins April 3, 2023, and ends June 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Please submit your comments by completing the Comment Form or emailing them to standard@nongmoproject.org. For details on Urgent Standard Revisions and the accompanying comment period, see Terms of Reference Section 7.2.2.

Please note that the 2023 regular Standard revision has been canceled. The comment period opening on April 3, 2023 is a result of the Urgent Standard Revision. All comments received during this 60-day comment period will be rolled into the next Regular Standard revision. We are planning to conduct the next Regular Standard revision in 2024 in an effort to resume the pre-COVID 19 biennial revision cadence.