Junkless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars are classified as a non-gmo product. Not just that, they also claim to be made with real ingredients – familiar and pronounceable. There are no artificial flavours or colours, synthetic preservatives, sugar substitutes or sugar alcohols, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or trans-fats.
The label of non GMO is granted by an organisation known as The Non GMO Project to these products after they are tested in a lab. They employ three testing methods, laboratory testing may employ quantitative, semi-quantitative, or qualitative PCR, Immunological testing methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and lateral flow strip tests. GMOs are defined by them as an organism to which biotechnology has been applied and derivatives of such an organism; cloned animals are included within this definition.
Testing process: (as outlined on their website)
First, they divide the risk status (of GMOs) into 5 levels.
Verified Status : Products that have been verified under the product verification process at wholesale or retail and are purchased for use as inputs or ingredients to different products enrolled in the product verification process.
High Risk: Organisms and the inputs and ingredients derived from them for which GM counterparts are widely commercially available.
Monitored Risk: Organisms and the inputs and ingredients derived from them for which GM counterparts are in the research and development stages, which have been developed but are not widely commercially available, or for which known GM contamination has occurred.
Low Risk: Organisms and the Inputs and Ingredients derived from them that are not classified as Monitored Risk or High Risk.
Non-Risk: Inputs and Ingredients that are not derived from biological organisms and are not, therefore, susceptible to Genetic Modification.
In my opinion, I don’t believe these bars are better for you just because they are non GMO. I compared junkless bars to a more mainstream brand, nature valley and found that while nature valley has more sugar, the ingredients that go into making a granola bar are pretty standard. Junkless just substitutes the same ingredients with a non GMO version. Essentially you are buying the same product with less sugar. Junkless bars may be the best granola bar if you are looking to control your sugar intake. If not, the best granola bar for you, is the one you like the best.
References
https://nongmo.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/Non-GMO-Project-Standard-Version-16.1.pdf