At International Organics, we've put together a system to show the organic certifications of our products. On products where you see the following images, you'll know that those foods meet the standards of USDA and/or EU Organic certification and/or are raw foods.
Certified as a fair trade product according to the socially-responsible principles of Transfair USA.
Certified Kosher or Hechsher according to Halakha Jewish Law.
This is a raw food which is naturally rich in enzymes because it has not been heated over 115 degrees F. Learn more about Raw Foods
In a world full of confusing culinary choices, what does it even mean to be organic? We've put together a fact sheet for our customers and anyone else who's interested in organic foods and how they are infinitely better than conventional foods for the global environment and your health.
So what are (certified) organic foods?
"An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system that has the integrity, the independence and the benign dependence of an organism" - Wendell Berry, "The Gift of Good Land"
Organic foods are farmed without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed, or genetically modified organisms. Instead, organic farmers use sustainable agricultural practices imitating those found in nature such as crop rotation, fertilizing with compost and recycled manure, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests. Certified organic foods are grown on farms that use organic and sustainable practices for typically a minimum of 3 years before receiving certification.
How is a farm certified organic?
Organic certification is an incredibly long and arduous process. Our organic products are certified USDA Organic, and in the case of our Conuco Select Cocoa, it is also certified organic by the European Union (which maintains even stricter organic certification standards).
Here is a summary of USDA standards to certify a farm organic:
The farm can't use chemicals or synthetic substances anywhere on the farm for a minimum of three years before the harvest of an organic crop.
Soils and nutrients can only be managed through tillage and cultivation practices, crop rotations, and cover crops which are supplemented with recycled animal and crop waste materials.
Crop pests, weeds, and diseases are controlled only through management practices like physical, mechanical, and biological controls.
Farmers may only use organic seeds and other planting stock.
Genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge is prohibited.
Health Benefits of Organic Farming and Organic Foods
Organic farming isn't easy. Organic farms are usually small and crop yields are generally smaller than their conventional counterparts. However, the high quality of organic crops are unparalleled and in the kitchen, it's quality over quantity. The benefits of organic farming and eating organic foods are numerous. From the local ecology of the farm to your (the consumer) health, organic foods benefit everyone at all stages of production.
Organic foods don't use pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms. This means that the organic foods you eat don't have any chemical residue or possible cancer-causing agents sometimes found in conventional foods.
