Certified Organic Coffee

ADVANCING COMPOSTING, ORGANICS RECYCLING & RENEWABLE ENERGY

blanket approval for compostable plastics in organic production. The letter was in response to comments received at the public meeting asking the NOP to clarify its position on bioplastics in compost destined for certified organic production and to suggestions that the board accept as allowable any products meeting ASTM D6400 and D6868 and Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) compostability standards.

McEvoy wrote: “Several commenters asked that NOP address the use of postconsumer food waste, such as compostable plates, cups, cutlery and plastic bags. We agree that this is a new development in handling food waste, but we believe that these represent synthetic materials that would need review and recommendation by the NOSB before they can be utilized in compost for organic production. Members of the public may wish to file petitions for consideration by the NOSB for these types of materials as compost feedstocks. Instructions for the preparation and submission of petitions are provided at http://www. ams.usda.gov/ NOPFilingaPetition.”

The Washington Organic Recycling Council (WORC) presented a proposal to NOSB while the board was having its meeting in Seattle. “The proposal was to not require all synthetic foodware products to have to be individually evaluated for inclusion but rather use the ASTM test methods,” says Jerry Bartlett of Cedar Grove Composting, the official composter for the city of Seattle and a WORC member. “We were trying to avoid the petition process for each synthetic compound. The USDA rejected the proposal, and so it is now the manufacturers’ responsibility to go through the petition process with each synthetic item they want to be composted.” The WORC letter had stated: “WORC recommends that the National Organic Program approve compostable products that meet ASTM Specification Standards D6400 [and] D6868 as feedstocks suitable for incorporation in compost products registered for use in organic agriculture. This action makes sense for all vested parties: it will lessen the burden of feedstock segregation and management currently placed on composters, generate increased volumes of products desired by organic farmers and gardeners across the country, and not yield any significant risk to the environment or consumer.” BPI and some manufacturers continue to explore ways in which the NOP might be convinced to adopt ASTM testing protocols.

The Value of Organic and Fair Trade Certification for Coffee ...

There are three terms or certifications for which you will notice promoted on many specialty coffees, Organic Coffee , Fair Trade Coffee and Shade Grown or Bird Friendly Coffee. Although you may find coffees with only one of these the three actually go hand in hand. In this article I’m going to discuss the 2 most commonly known, Organic and Fair Trade. You probably are already familiar with organic, as pretty much every grocery store today carries organic products. You may see this as a “new” thing, however its a matter of going back to farming without chemicals. After decades of chemicals being used to fertilize and protect plants, a strong correlation has been found to the increase of cancer and other major health problems, for the farmers, wildlife, those living in the surrounding community, and those ingesting the product. Growing organic means growing without chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides which was being done for thousands of years before their creation. For coffee this particularly means growing the plants in the shade of other trees as it would in the wild. In order to ensure the food is grown truly without chemicals one is certified by a third party which investigates and tests the soil, leaf, and the bean where it is grown, as well as inspecting and certifying the facility where the beans are roasted to ensure no chemicals are used. Fair Trade ensures that the farmers are paid a stable and fair wage for their product. If you step back and look at the fact that the farmer who grew the beans will receive only a few cents of the $3.50 you just paid for your premium cup of coffee, you will see the importance of Fair Trade. In many countries where coffee is grown large percentages of the population live below the poverty level. As they have little or no education their options are in agriculture, growing coffee, and due to little community structure the same future awaits their children. Fair Trade helps to fund programs which provide schools for their children, health care and other social benefits that in years past were not available. A Fair Trade farmer will receive a minimum price per lb of coffee. This eliminates the fluctuation of the price of coffee due to speculation and the world economy markets. If one is also Organic certified they receive an additional price per pound. Fair Trade encourages not only Organic and Shade Grown farming practices, but goes beyond helping to fund and implement better processing facilities, recycling practices, reducing soil erosion, education and healthcare for both children and adults. Overall a sustainable farming community essential to the livelihood of many. So why choose certified Organic, Shade Grown and Fair Trade coffee ? Because you get a better tasting cup as there are no chemicals, the beans were grown in a natural way, the farmers are paid a better wage care and so picked the coffee cherries at just the right time and processed them in clean efficient facilities. You also get to help the environment, provide education and healthcare, and increase the sustainability of farming as a means of survival for millions of people. Pretty easy choice if you ask us.

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