For those of you who are looking for healthy organic coffee and are constantly befuddled by unclear labeling, here is a handy guide to organic coffee labeling. Ever since 2002 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has had strict guidelines defining what constitutes organic coffee and any other organic food or drink. Another issue that we address in our guide to organic coffee labeling is that there are many great organic coffees such as some of the Colombian organic coffee brands that abide by different sets of standards such as UTZ and do not seek USDA organic coffee certification.
USDA Rules and Regulations for Organic Coffee
Organic coffee is a single ingredient food. As such coffee that qualifies as USDA organic coffee will have a USDA Organic label. When a food in general and specifically a coffee product has more than one ingredient you may see labeling such as 100% organic, organic, or made with organic ingredients. Only 100% organic coffee bears the USDA organic seal. Here is the breakdown:00% Organic (This means what it says. The package contains 100% organic products.)
• Organic (95% to 99% of this bag of coffee is organic.)
• Made with organic ingredients (This label means that 70% to 94% of the bag by weight is organic coffee.
• And, products with some organic ingredients may list them on the package as being organic ingredients.
2. For those of you who are looking
for healthy organic coffee and
are constantly befuddled by
unclear labeling, here is a handy
guide to organic coffee labeling.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
3. Ever since 2002 the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
has had strict guidelines defining
what constitutes organic coffee
and any other organic food or
drink.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
4. Another issue that we address in our
guide to organic coffee labeling is that
there are many great organic coffees
such as some of the Colombian
organic coffee brands that abide by
different sets of standards such as
UTZ and do not seek USDA organic
coffee certification.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
5. USDA Rules and Regulations for
Organic Coffee
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
6. Organic coffee is a single
ingredient food. As such coffee
that qualifies as USDA organic
coffee will have a USDA Organic
label.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
7. When a food in general and
specifically a coffee product has
more than one ingredient you may
see labeling such as 100% organic,
organic, or made with organic
ingredients.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
8. Only 100% organic coffee bears the
USDA organic seal. Here is the
breakdown:00% Organic (This
means what it says. The package
contains 100% organic products.)
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
9. Organic (95% to 99% of this bag
of coffee is organic.)
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
10. Made with organic ingredients
(This label means that 70% to
94% of the bag by weight is
organic coffee.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
11. And, products with some
organic ingredients may list
them on the package as being
organic ingredients.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
13. UTZ certified coffee and Rainforest
Alliance certified coffee commonly
are organic coffees. The long term
goals of UTZ are good agricultural
practices, safe and healthy working
conditions, abolishment of child labor,
and environmental protection.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
14. However, a grower does not need
to accomplish all that is required
in the first year. This allows a
grower to sign up to get his coffee
UTZ certified, learn what is
necessary, and grow into the long
term requirements of the program.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
15. Because of the close tracking
feature of all UTZ Certified
products, consumers of healthy
organic coffee produced by these
growers can be assured of product
quality as well as the farming
practices that brought it to market.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
16. The process of getting certified by
Rainforest Alliance is similar to
getting UTZ Certified. Growers
start by achieving partial success
and grow into the eventual
requirements.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
17. Rainforest Alliance requires that
coffee growers meet half of the
criteria for any given area of
concern to start with and meet
eighty percent of requirements
overall.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
18. These criteria include ecosystem
preservation, safety of wild
animals, watershed conservation,
fair hiring and labor practices,
appropriate safety measures for
workers, and strict adherence to
agrochemical use standards.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
19. An additional feature of this
program is the prohibition of
genetically modified crops.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
20. Too Expensive to Seek
Certification
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
21. A coffee grower with a small farm
in the highlands of Panama,
Colombia, or Costa Rica will
commonly produce organic coffee.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
22. At the same time he cannot pay the
fee (commonly $500) to have a
certifying agency come and certify
him every one to three years. He
needs to see a sufficient profit from
getting certified and if this does not
happen many will simply quit seeking
certification even though they
produce excellent organic coffee.
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
23. It is, in fact, the goal of Buy
Organic Coffee to seek out these
growers and help them bring their
products to a broader market
By: www.buyorganiccoffee.org/866/guide-to-organic-coffee-labeling/
