WHAT IS ORGANIC FOOD?
- Food that has been grown without the routine use of agricultural chemicals such as: fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, growth regulators.
- It is also food that has been processed from organic produce, in a certified facility, without synthetic additives like: stabilisers, emulsifiers, antioxidants, preservatives, colourants, flavour enhancers, industrial solvents etc.
- Organic farming features practices that promote soil fertility, cycle resources (such as nutrients), promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity.
WHAT IS CERTIFICATION ?
One of the biggest differences between conventional and organic food production is the requirement for certification. Organic certifiers represent the consumer, and provide the guarantee that the producer has complied with a detailed set of strict standards and rules.
We purchase in order of priority:
- Certified Organic
- Certified Organic in Transition
- Uncertified Organic - this means produce is grown using organic methods, but has not been audited by a certifying body.
Within New Zealand there are several ways of labelling certified organic products, including Bio-Gro label, Demeter label (Biodynamic agriculture), OrganicFarmNZ label.
We have non-organic groceries where organic products are unavailable.
The reason we stock non-organic products relates to some of the original aims of the co-operative:
- Providing affordable wholefoods. For some staple foods the difference in price between organic and non-organic is quite high, so we provide a cheaper option on some products.
- Providing food for people with allergies. Not all gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free etc. products are available with organic certification.
