Brazilian raw sugar exporter Raízen recently entered partnership with sugar refiner and marketer ASR Group, based in Florida, to develop a fully traceable and non-GMO sugar supply chain, Dive Wire reported.
Under the terms of the 10-year purchase agreement, Raízen and ASR Group will use Raízen’s technology to trace raw sugar from its source farms to its milling location to create sugar and biofuels. The final raw sugar product is secluded and transported to a separate facility to undergo the export process.
The project will kick off with non-GMO sugar shipments to ASR refineries in Canada, the U.K., Portugal and Italy under its Redpath, Tate & Lyle, Lyle’s and Sidul brands. Shipments in the future may be headed to U.S. refineries, as well as those under the Domino and C&H brands.
The venture also hopes three in four consumers promote transparency toward its consumers about the source of their food, as mentioned by nearly three in four consumers in a 2022 Food Industry Association (FMI) report.
The collaboration is announced as the non-GMO industry becomes increasingly profitable. The purpose of the initiative is to counter genetically modified sugar, which makes up the majority of sugar in the U.S sugar market.
This is the first non-GMO traceability system of its kind for sugar, the companies reveal.
“As consumers become more aware of the ingredients in their food, the ability to trace their origin — and being able to certify that they are indeed non-GMO — is becoming more important to manufacturers,” a recent Food Dive report states.
Through the collaboration, both parties also hope to combat the limited regulation of GMOs in the U.S.
“In the U.S., approximately 60% of all sugar comes from beets, and about 95% of all sugar beets are grown from genetically modified seed,” the report notes. “Genetically modified sugarcane also exists.”
“The Raízen and ASR partnership takes that concept further,” a recent Food Dive report states. “The companies said that the funds invested in the program will also help Raízen work on its sustainability goals. These include improving land productivity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through making operations more efficient and better use and reuse of water, the companies said. And because the non-GMO sugar included in this partnership is separated from the rest of the crop that Raízen grows and ASR processes, it will be easy for the companies to quantify exactly how much they are saving in terms of sustainability.”