By Elizabeth Henderson
Most Abundance shoppers are familiar with the USDA Organic label that appears on many products in the store. The National Organic Program Organic label guarantees that products have been certified organic by a certification agency that is accredited by USDA. The organic label is all you need to assure you that the food has been grown without GMOs, toxic pesticides and herbicides. You can eat without worrying about chemical residues on your food. But you may not have noticed that a few products carry a second label – the Real Organic Project (ROP).
Why would an organic vegetable farm like Lady Moon that supplies some of the best winter greens and cherry tomatoes to Abundance bother with an add-on label? The answer is complex – the National Organic Program has been allowing farms that grow hydroponic vegetables and berries or that have become such huge dairy farms that they classify as CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) to certify their products as Organic. Family-scale organic farmers feel so strongly that this is wrong that they have created a whole new certification program with the Real Organic label to let customers know that the produce has been grown in soil and that the dairy cows have access to pasture.
You can listen to the Real Organic Project weekly podcast where they interview some of the 1000 ROP-certified farmers. ROP has raised enough money to provide this add-on label for free. Each ROP farm goes through the usual organic certification process and in addition a ROP inspector visits the farm to inspect growing practices and space for livestock.
So look for the Real Organic label! It “uplifts USDA organic certified farmers who steward their crops and livestock with integrity. Real Organic farms are free from hydroponics, confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and prohibited herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. Real Organic Project offers a whole-farm certification that recognizes the exemplary work farmers do across all aspects of their farm operation – soil, crops, livestock, and labor.”
Imager below: Farmers in Vermont demonstrate on behalf of healthy soil, the essence of organic farming and gardening.
About the Author Elizabeth Henderson
A food coop member since the 1970’s wherever she lived, Elizabeth Henderson has been a shareholder in Abundance Food Co-op for decades. She founded the Community Supported Agriculture Project, which has its designated pick up location at Abundance from the months of June through November. The vegetables come from Ruth Blackwell’s Mud Creek Farm these days since Elizabeth retired as an organic farmer. Elizabeth continues to be active as a member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association Policy Committee, the Rochester Food Policy Council and the Urban Agriculture Working Group. She also helps out at the Magnolia Street community garden and mentors organic farmers and gardeners.