Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/ History of Organic Coffee Healthy organic coffee has been around ever since coffee was discovered growing wild and ever since it was first grown. However, the history of organic coffee of the certified variety starts in 1990. The Organic Foods Production Act was passed in 1990. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances which identifies synthetic substances that may be used, and the nonsynthetic substances that cannot be used, in organic production and handling operations. The reason that organic coffee certification as well as certification of other foods came into being is that farmers learned that they could increase production by using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Because there was no clear way to differentiate between products grown by an organic method and those grown by more modern methods a need arose to certify food as organic. The law states that for coffee to be certified as organic the soil in which it is grown must be free from prohibited substances for at least three years and have been verified as such. There have to be clear boundaries between land on which organic coffee is grown and land where pesticides, herbicides, and prohibited chemical fertilizers are used. This is so that drift of substances from adjacent land will not contaminate the organic plot. Organic coffee certification requires a specific and verifiable plan for all practices and procedures from planting to crop maintenance, to harvest, de-husking, bagging, transport, roasting, packaging, and final transport. Procedures must be in place to insure that there is no contamination of healthy organic coffee with regular coffee produced on soil exposed to contaminants. Who Does the Checking? Once there was a set of regulations in place to certify organic coffee the problem was that aside from Hawaii no one grows organic coffee in the USA. And the USDA does not run around Latin America where three fourths of the organic coffee in the world is grown. Thus there are certifying authorities who act on behalf of the USDA. One of these is Bio Latina. These folks office in Lima, Peru but they tramp all over Latin America certifying various organic foods including coffee. One issue for small producers is that the $500 a year certifying fee is too steep a price unless they can get connected to a buyer who will pay the organic rate instead of the regular coffee rate.
Citation preview
Healthy organic coffee has been around ever since coffee was discovered growing wild
and ever since it was first grown.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
However, the history of organic coffee of the certified
variety starts in 1990. The Organic Foods Production Act
was passed in 1990.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a
National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances which
identifies synthetic substances that may be used,
and the nonsynthetic substances that cannot be
used, in organic production and handling operations.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
The reason that organic coffee certification as well as certification of other foods came into being is that
farmers learned that they could increase production by
using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and
fungicides.By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
Because there was no clear way to differentiate between
products grown by an organic method and those grown by
more modern methods a need arose to certify food as
organic.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
The law states that for coffee to be certified as organic the soil in which it is grown must
be free from prohibited substances for at least
three years and have been verified as such.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
There have to be clear boundaries between land on
which organic coffee is grown and land where pesticides, herbicides, and prohibited
chemical fertilizers are used.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
This is so that drift of substances from adjacent land will not
contaminate the organic plot. Organic coffee certification
requires a specific and verifiable plan for all practices and
procedures from planting to crop maintenance, to harvest, de-husking, bagging, transport,
roasting, packaging, and final transport.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
Procedures must be in place to insure that there is no contamination of healthy
organic coffee with regular coffee produced on soil
exposed to contaminants.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
Who Does the Checking?
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
Once there was a set of regulations in place to certify
organic coffee the problem was that aside from Hawaii no one grows organic coffee
in the USA.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
And the USDA does not run around Latin America where three fourths of the organic coffee in the world is grown.
Thus there are certifying authorities who act on behalf
of the USDA.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
One of these is Bio Latina. These folks office in Lima, Peru but they
tramp all over Latin America certifying various organic foods including coffee. One issue for
small producers is that the $500 a year certifying fee is too steep a
price unless they can get connected to a buyer who will pay
the organic rate instead of the regular coffee rate.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
Just As Good As Organic Certification
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
There are two organizations that provide much the same
assurance of quality as USDA certification. These are UTZ
and Rain Forest Alliance. This history of organic coffee as
regards these organizations is this:
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
There is more to organic coffee than good taste and a lack of impurities. When a
grower goes organic he practices sustainable
agriculture. That is good for his land and good for the land
and eco-system in general.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
Growing shade grown organic coffee under the canopy of an undisturbed forest is good for the birds and the watershed. Working with UTZ and Rain
Forest Alliance growers abide by good child labor practices
and good business and farming practices.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
The history of organic coffee continues as these
organizations help growers prosper, find buyers, and lead
better lives.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/
