Organic Food 101

Lesson 3: Getting to Know Your Organic Processor

Certified Organic: The Big Players

In the first lesson you met Carolyn Hetzel from the certifying organization, Farm Verified Organic. She explained how the organic certification system allows the ingredients of a product to be traced back to the actual field where they were grown. During the summer of 2002 I tried to find out if I could do that with products from large companies selling certified organic products.

I called Santa Cruz Organics, a division of J.M Smucker, in early August of 2002. Santa Cruz Organics, of Chico, California, makes a line of juice drinks that are certified organic by Quality Assurance International. Tiffany Geha, a Santa Cruz Organics spokesperson, helped me locate a manufacturing code stamped on a can of the company's orange mango drink.

"We don't use a lot number but that manufacturing number tells us your drink was manufactured at the Chico plant on April 15, 2002 at 10:44 a.m.," Geha said.

With that information, she assured me, she could easily find out what organic farmer produced the oranges for the juice in the drink. A day later she called back.

"I spoke with the Quality Assurance Manager and she said it's going to take at least two hours to find those records," Geha said. "Wouldn't you be just as well off if we told you how we do the process?" I assured her we wanted to know who the farmer was.

"Well, since this is going to go in a magazine we'll have to talk to marketing," she replied.

I continue to wait for another return call from Tiffany Geha.

In mid-July I contacted two other companies with certified organic products. Muir Glen, a General Mills subsidiary, makes a line of tomato products such as ketchup and tomato paste. Edward and Sons markets organic candies, crackers, and other gourmet items.

An email to Edward and Sons elicited an immediate phone call from Alyson Cox at the firm's California headquarters. She was anxious to help.

"My family really enjoyed your organic gummy bears," I told her, "but we're wondering if you can prove if the ingredients are raised by organic farmers."

"Yes," Alyson said. "I'm really busy but I'll get somebody in the office to help me. It'll be hard but we can do it."

It's important to note here that most of Edward and Son's products, which are really delicious, are imported. That may have had to do with why getting documentation could be difficult.

Two weeks went by with no word. Then an email was sent to Cox asking how things were going. The email also asked her if the sticker on the bottom of the Gummy Bear box was a lot number. She had told us the company's certifier was Quality Assurance International so we asked her why the box label said it was certified by Agreco. A week later Alyson Cox sent the following email in response: "I am so sorry, I am not going to be able to get the paperwork together for you.  Things are very busy here and I am out all of next week. We are certified by QAI.  Agreco is the EU (European Union) certification but you have an old box.  You will be receiving some samples which contain the newer boxes.  QAI is marked on all our organic packaging as they are our certifier."

Edward and Sons did send me a large box of free food. The brown rice crackers were delicious but I don't know if the ingredients were grown by organic farmers. None of the free packages appear to have lot numbers.

My experience with Muir Glen, whose products I use regularly, was less fruitful.

When I called the consumer comment number listed on the Muir Glen ketchup bottle the Washington company's phone was answered by General Mills consumer representatives in Minneapolis. The consumer representatives were unable to speak to the press. On three occasions they transferred the call to Alegra Sinclair. Messages left with Ms. Sinclair were not answered. On August 14th, prompted by complaints from the helpful people at the consumer phone line, a General Mills representative identifying herself as Mary Beth called. I explained to her I enjoyed Muir Glen ketchup and wondered if I could talk to one of the farmers supplying tomatoes for my particular bottle of ketchup. I tried reading her the number stamped on top of the bottle.

"You mean you want to find out if General Mills is putting tomatoes in a product that aren't organic and then labeling it organic?", she asked.

"No. I'm just trying to find out if the system works," I said.

"I don't know if we want the media talking to our suppliers and farmers. I'll have to check and see what the certification is for."

On August 20th I left a message on Mary Beth's answering machine asking if she had any information for me. I continue to wait for her to return the call.

I contacted one other company, Nature's Path of Delta, British Columbia, by email. Nature's Path makes a multi-grain breakfast cereal that I often eat. The package says the product is certified organic. All three of the other company's packages had the name of the third party certifying agency on them. Nature's Path did not. I asked them who their certifying agency was. The email message was sent on the 13th of August. No response was ever received but in early 2003 I noticed the company now includes the name of its certifying agency on its label.

The unwillingness of the four companies to communicate with a reporter is not proof that their products or ingredients are not grown by farmers using organic methods. But it does establish, at least, that some companies that are charging high premiums for products they claim are organic are not willing to be open about the very process that allows them to collect that premium.

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