Whole Foods, the major organic grocery chain founded in Austin, has become the first grocer to “ensure that the use of the world ‘organic’ is accurate and consistent across all store aisles.”
By this, the company means that every product down to it’s personal care section are fully compliant with the government’s restrictions on the “organic” food label.
“Believe it or not, there are no Federal laws that regulate how the word ‘organic’ can be used on personal care products. Our shoppers don’t expect the meaning of organic to change between store aisles, and neither do we,” said Jeremiah McElwee, global coordinator of the personal care department at Whole Foods, in a press release. “Our suppliers eagerly took on the challenge of making crucial ingredient and labeling changes. Thanks to their tremendous support, our shoppers can trust that all products in our U.S. stores labeled as ‘organic’ truly are.”
According to the company’s press release, in order for a product to claim to be 100 percent organic it must be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) as being so. Those that label themselves as being “made with organic ingredients” must be certified by the same sources as at least made with 70 percent organic products. And, those that make a “contains organic ingredient” claim must have that ingredient certified by the USDA NOP as organic.
Clearly, the company and government believe heavily in making sure its entire product catalog is certified organic. If companies wish to sell similar products to this very popular grocery chain, they may want to adjust their custom labels to comply with these rules. By purchasing a Primera LX400 color label printer, businesses can efficiently create these changes at little to no cost.