Gluten-Free: In addition to limiting the unavoidable presence of gluten to less than 20 parts per million, FDA now allows manufacturers to label a food “gluten-free” if the food does not contain an ingredient that is any type of wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds of these grains. Foods such as bottled spring water, fruits and vegetables, and eggs can also be labeled "gluten-free" if they inherently don't have any gluten. Foods labeled as gluten-free must be produced in facilities that are certified gluten-free by third-party agencies.

Organic: A USDA Organic seal identifies products with at least 95% organic ingredients. The use of the term Organic in commerce is regulated by the standards of the USDA National Organic Program, which requires that products bearing the organic label are made without the use of toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, synthetichormones, sewage sludge, GMO’s, irradiation or other excluded practices. Organiccertification is applied for through USDA-accredited third-party certification agencies,and are subject to yearly renewal inspections and audits.

Non-GMO: (genetically modified organisms, the products of genetic engineering)Presently there are two established non-GMO programs:

Non-GMO Project Verified: The Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program(PVP) is a process-based and product-based program designed to assess compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard. The core requirements are traceability, segregation, and testing of high-risk ingredients at critical control points. The verification process ishandled by independent, third-party technical administrators (TAs) who determineif a product complies with the Standard.

Organic: The use of GMOs is prohibited under USDA’s National Organic Program.

A third non-GMO certification scheme is being proposed under the existing USDAProcess Verified program. While not yet in general use for non-GMO labeling, thisprogram historically has been used to verify that growers and manufacturers meettheir own self-defined standards. Companies with approved USDA Process Verified Programs are able to make claims associated with their process verified pointsincluding age, source, feeding practices, or other raising and processing claims-- and market themselves as "USDA Process Verified" with use of the "USDA Process Verified" shield and term.