What Makes a Coffee Organic?

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W W W . B U Y O R G A N I C C O F F E E . O R G

WHAT MAKES A COFFEE ORGANIC?

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The world consumes more than two

billion cups of coffee a day.

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In the USA more than 50% of the

population drinks coffee.

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Statistics are hard to come by but

organic coffee makes up only a small

percentage of total coffee output or

consumption.

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What makes a coffee organic and why

would you want to drink healthy organic coffee and not regular java?

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Healthy organic coffee has been

around for a long, long time.

Unfortunately in the modern era the

use of pesticides and herbicides has

entered the picture in growing many

crops, including otherwise healthy

organic coffee.

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Although non-organic contaminants do

not necessarily reduce the beneficial

health effects of a healthy cup of

organic coffee the non-organic

contaminants cause problems of their own.

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A study by the Australian Food Standards

Authority revealed that as many as 133

contaminants may be in a cup of

commercially available coffee. These

contaminants include metals such as

aluminum and zinc, pesticide residues,

ochratoxin A, acrylamide, furan, and

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

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Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are found to cause cancer. Furans have been associated with skin disorders, liver problems, certain kinds of cancers, impairment to the reproductive, endocrine, and immune system, as well as effects on embryonic development.

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Drinking organic coffee probably does

not increase the health effects of

drinking coffee that come from

antioxidants and caffeine.

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But organic coffee does not contain

residues of pesticides, herbicides,

fungicides or synthetic fertilizers.

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What makes coffee organic is that is

grown in uncontaminated soil,

processed and stored separately from

regular coffee.

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The end result of organic coffee

farming is preservation of the soil and

the water table by a process referred to

as sustainable agriculture. But, how do you know your coffee is organic?

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Organic Coffee Certification

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The United States Department of

Agriculture (USDA) certifies organically

produced food including organic coffee.

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Because the only coffee grown in the

USA is grown in Hawaii the USDA uses

other certifying agencies who work on

the USDA’s behalf.

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In Latin America where the majority of

the world’s organic coffee is produces

Bio Latina is a certifying agency for the USDA.

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If your organic coffee originated in Latin

America it is likely that it was subject to

Bio Latina organic coffee certification.

Bio Latina is located in Lima, Peru.

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The company certifies farms, ranches, and forests for sustainable practices on behalf of organizations throughout the world. Bio Latina certifies in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua and Venezuela as well as in Panamá, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador Ecuador and Mexico.

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The label on a bag of healthy organic

coffee from Latin America may say that

it is USDA certified. However, it may be

Bio Latina organic coffee certification

on behalf of the USDA that guarantees a pure cup of organic coffee.

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Whether your organic coffee is certified

by Bio Latina or another agency on

behalf of the USDA you should see a

USDA Certified sticker on the bag.

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Other certifications such as UTZ or

Rainforest Alliance let you know that

coffee was grown under sustainable

agricultural conditions although the

coffee might not meet the strict definition of organic coffee.