Roughly 90 percent of US corn, soy, and sugar beets are genetically modified. Those crops feed straight into the ingredient lists of most condiments on the shelf. In 2026, a ketchup made without them is no longer a niche choice. It is a label-reading decision shoppers are making at the checkout, every week.
The GMO ingredients hiding in most ketchups
High fructose corn syrup, modified corn starch, and natural flavors carried in soy or canola derivatives all trace back to GMO row crops unless the label says otherwise. If you cannot find a Non-GMO Certified mark, assume those ingredients are GMO sourced.
Want the full breakdown of how HFCS specifically slipped into the ketchup aisle? Read our HFCS guide.
Claim vs. certification: why the wording matters
Anyone can print the words "non-GMO" on a package. That's a claim, not a check. A certification is different: it means the ingredients were traced back through the supply chain and verified against a defined standard by a third party.
Under the standard our ingredients are certified to, a plant-based food can only be labeled GMO-free if any genetic-modification content stays at or below 0.1 percent and is accidental and technically unavoidable. The same framework also prohibits planting genetically modified seed in the first place. That's the bar our tomato paste, sugar, and spices are held to, not just a word on the front of the bottle. See our plain-English GMO explainer.
Why 78 ketchup
78 Original Ketchup is Non-GMO certified. 78 percent real tomatoes, real sugar instead of HFCS, and every spice carrier traced back to a verified non-GMO source. It pours cleaner, tastes brighter, and reads honest on the back panel.