 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |||
 
|
"What is Organic Certification?"
Organic Certification is method used to assure that products are grown, harvested, and processed according to clearly stated standards and strict procedures without persistent chemical inputs. At Willow Wind Organic Farms we produce our products under the guidelines of the Washington State Organic Certification Program. The Washington State Program is an independent third party Certification Agency whose rules and regulations are written into state code and carry the force of law. Certified Organic products have been carefully grown, harvested, and processed to assure the finest possible quality. To be a certified organic farm, the land must be free of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides for a three year period. Only natural amendments to the soil for production may be used.
Question on Organic Quality Assurance
Our local grocery chain (Piggly Wiggly) in Florence, SC recently begin carrying your product. This evening I purchased the broccoli mini spears and the corn. I was very pleased with the excellent taste of these products, and in my opinion, the extra product cost is money well spent. I read up on your product at your web site tonight and was wondering if the information in the organic news section (http://www.willowwindfarms.com/organews2.htm) also applied to farm lands outside of the U.S. The information on your site only mentions "different states." I happen to notice that the product bag was stamped "Product of Guatemala, 0743 1BA, Field Code 18003." Do your same assurances of organic quality for the custody of the field, etc. also apply to your partners overseas? If so, in what manner are they monitored for compliance?
Thanks,
Bill
Greetings Bill;
Thank you for enjoying our products! We are always happy to hear form our satisfied customers. You have posed a good question. Yes, we have certifiers who go to the farms and factories where the products are frozen where ever they are. We are very careful to have only USDA & WSDA compliance as our standard. ALL products certified must give complete records of farm practices and chain of custody, as well as be approved as clean and safe production sites. The same standards apply worldwide to every part of the farm to market event. Products need to be available year round and can be grown outside the US for year round sales. The quality of the broccoli from Guatamala is absolutely wonderful and we are pleased to have it under our label.
We are committed to the increase of organic acres everywhere. Farming is undergoing a fundamental change...we have been working towards this for 25 years and are happy to support clean sustainable farming worldwide. Please don't let the name of a place bother you...look for the WSDA/USDA certification seals. They are legal seals of organic regulations....they matter, and product must be approved by these agencies to have the seal of certification.
Thank you for your note...Send me your address and I'll send you some coupons for free products!
God's Blessings Always,
Margaret Ann Walser
