What is Certified Organic?The "certified organic" symbol is a mark which is earned. It is our best guarantee that a product is truly organic! Certified Organic means that a farm or company's food or fibre product has been grown & processed without the use of chemicals, herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The certification is validated each year by a quality assurance system that audits a detailed paper trail listing farmers, processors, transporters and wholesalers that may have handled any or part of the organic product. The processes within each business are also verified to ensure they adhere to specific organic standards.
Organic certification began in the 1970's in response to consumer concerns that the organic products they were buying were not legitimately organic. Since consumers no longer had a direct relationship with farmers as they did in earlier times, they couldn’t be sure of the organic purity of their food purchase. Organic certification was, and continues to be, a means to verify that products are produced according to a strictly defined and controlled set of regulations.
IS ORGANIC FOOD MORE NUTRITIOUS?
The comparison between organic and conventionally grown food is often complicated by differences in factors such as growing conditions and post-harvest storage. Growth conditions such as soil minerals, water, light as well as pressure from insects or microorganisms, can affect the nutritional value of plant crops, according to food scientist Dr. Alyson Mitchell at University of California at Davis.
Dr. Virginia Worthington published a study that appeared in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2001. Her conclusions were that organic vegetables, fruits and grains contain 27 percent more Vitamin C than conventional produce; 21 percent more iron; 29 percent more magnesium; 13 percent more phosphorus; and 15 percent fewer nitrates. Some studies have found that, except for lower levels of pesticides in organic foods, there are few nutritional differences between the two types of produce.
WHY BUY ORGANIC?
We feel overall health for everyone is improved when less pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers are used to grow food.
When you buy products that are farmed organically you help:
• save the energy it takes to produce synthetic fertilizers and cut pollution
• protect farm workers health and help keep a healthy environment for wildlife
• prevent genetically modified organisms from flooding food supplies
• keep carcinogens found in most herbicides and pesticides out of our water systems
• support a true economy without hidden costs of subsidies and environmental damage
• promote biodiversity and ecological sustainability
• increase international demand for organic products and help small and local organic farmers
• motivate farmers to embrace sustainable agricultural practices
CANADA INTRODUCES NATIONAL STANDARD FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
In 1999 the Government of Canada unveiled a new National Standard of Canada for Organic Agriculture - a step that will clarify just what the "organic'' in organic agriculture means. There are six principles of this National Organic Standards:1. Protect the environment, minimize soil degradation and erosion, decrease pollution and optimize biological productivity.
2. Replenish and maintain long-term soil fertility through crop rotation and composting while avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers.
3. Maintain biological diversity for long-term sustainability using strategies for pest management that do not include synthetic pesticides.
4. Recycle materials and resources to the greatest extent possible within the enterprise.
5. Provide attentive care that promotes the health and behavioral needs of livestock.
6. Maintain the integrity of organic food and processed products from initial handling to point of sale. Genetically engineered and/or modified organisms are prohibited.At Highwood Crossing, we are serious about organic production and our certification proves it! In our operation, we either use certified organic seed grown on our own farm or buy certified organic seed from other certified organic growers who provide us with the guarantee that the product is certified organic (in some cases, we even have the DNA tested to ensure organic purity). Just the word "organic" on a label doesn't mean much, wereas "certified organic" means this product can be traced back to the land it was grown on and the date it was planted,harvested, and processed. It also provides a clear audit trail to where the seed was stored and how it was handled and transported.
When we use seed grown on our farm, we assign it a lot number, have it cleaned at an approved "certified organic" cleaning plant, which has been verified by an independent organic inspector, and store it in labelled bins. Detailed records are kept on these same lot numbers so that any product can be traced back to the field it was grown on. All of our operations are totally regulated by internationally recognized organic standards. These strict rules promote long-term agricultural sustainability and are your guarantee that no chemicals, pesticides or genetically modified organisms have been used in the growing or making of our products.
“This small on-farm processing operation is the neatest and tidiest operation this inspector has reviewed in 2003. The cleanliness is outstanding. Equipment appears spotless as did the floor and other areas. All and all this operation is a credit to the organic industry”Jack Reams, QMI Organic Inspector
