The Co-op is Certified Organic! What does that mean?
By Barry Haynes, Store Manager
Did you know that the Ashland Food Co-op is the only Certified Organic Retailer in southern Oregon. Well, that’s great! But what does that actually mean?
Though it sounds like it implies that all of the products we offer are certified organic, in actuality, it’s more about ensuring that the integrity of our certified organic products is maintained from the moment it enters our doors to the moment it leaves. In other words, you can be assured that the organic coffee you bought has stayed clean and clear of non-organic ingredients or contaminants during its stay at the Co-op. “Organic to the last drop!”
As a retailer, the Co-op is not required but we choose to be inspected by a USDA accredited, third party certifier every year.
We do this to verify that we are in compliance with the USDA’s National Organic Program and maintain our Organic Certification. Our third party certifier, Oregon Tilth, has been an integral part of the organic movement for forty years and does much more than inspection and certification. Tilth provides resources for farmers interested in switching to organic production, environmental conservation on the farm, farm viability and even a farmer mentorship program. It also publishes “In Good Tilth”, a seasonal magazine that tells positive stories about the organic trade. Pick up a copy at the Co-op or read it online at tilth.org.
During our annual inspection, we are required to provide organic certificates for all of the organic products we offer in every department of our Co-op. We also have to demonstrate that we have procedures and training in place to ensure that there is no commingling of organic and non organic products during receiving, storage, processing and merchandising. For instance, we would never display non organic produce above organic produce in our wet vegetable displays.
Any water dripping from non organic produce could contaminate the organic produce below. Another example would be in our Meat and Seafood department, where we cut and package all of our organic chicken before we process the natural chicken. All of these steps are very important to ensure organic integrity.
Imagine a store without these procedures in place. They could be preparing non organic product on the same surface as organic. This would obviously compromise the integrity of the organic product.
In addition to reviewing paperwork and procedures, our inspector conducts an in and out audit. This audit reviews the volume of organic products that we have sold and compares those figures to our purchases of those products. This type of audit ensures that a business hasn’t sold non organic products as organic.
This comprehensive inspection process usually takes about seven hours. After the inspection has been completed, the inspector presents their findings to one of Oregon Tilth’s inspection reviewers. Once the review has taken place and they are confident that they have received all of the information they require, a decision on certification is made. We’ve been having voluntary inspections since 2008—and have passed all of them!
Why does the Co-op choose to go through this process when there is no requirement to do so? We want our customers to have confidence that when they choose organic products at the Co-op, we have done everything we can to ensure the integrity of that organic product. This is just one of the ways we let our shoppers know that we try to stay true to our Product Philosophy and they can continue to trust the high standards the Co-op sets for itself and for the health of the community.
More Co-op News
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And starting on November 16, you can get an early taste of Thanksgiving as the Co-op Kitchen hot bar rolls out the full Thanksgiving spread.
Black Lives Matter
We acknowledge that the Ashland Food Co-op has not had a culture where all employees and community members felt safe sharing their experiences of discrimination in our store. We apologize for this. We are on a learning journey. We have reached out for help, and are listening to our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) employees and owners who want to be part of the positive change we seek.
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And that help came through in big ways, getting nutritious food to displaced families, home supplies in high demand, and wellness and food for first responders and firefighters. Thank you for supporting these businesses as thanks for their help in our community's relief efforts.
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October is typically Co-op month, to highlight how differently cooperatives do business. But instead of talking about the 7 Cooperative Principles, or the ownership benefits of being part of the Co-op, we only need to look at the past four weeks to see what being a cooperative really means.
As part of the co-op family, you've helped the entire community immensely.
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Click here to watch the lecture at your convenience.
Password: p!=Fw6R7
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For immediate support, the Co-op gave $1,000 to staff who lost their homes in the fires, as well as $250 for food and other household needs for anyone displaced due to a level 3 evacuation order.
Change for Good in September: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
For the month of September, Ashland Food Co-op shoppers can round up at the register to support Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. Since 1973, SOLC has been working on multiple fronts to improve land quality and conservation for humans and nature alike. Check out some of the projects below that SOLC has been working on recently. And mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24, as SOLC hosts an Open Lands Day hike and tour on the Rogue River Preserve.
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Access the Zoom recording here.
Zoom access password: 2zu@KQWU
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2020 Co-op Election Results
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Click a name below to read more about that Co-op Board member.