Organics-At the crossroads
Organic produce is not just healthier for our bodies, it is also an important tool in the ongoing quest to help the planet sustain itself and all the people that inhabit this amazing Earth. Organic agriculture is specifically useful and important to the rest of the world in the quest to fight poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Organic produce is also one of the most useful tools in the battle of agriculture vs. global warming. The huge demand for organic produce in the Western world has created a frenzy of farmers trying to convert their crops fast enough. We are at a crossroads in agriculture. Today we can no longer overlook the need to move beyond simply being “organic.” We must be moving and supporting farmers, governments, organizations and educators alike who are also on this quest to ensure that we are indeed creating systems of accountability. We need to support certification and traceability so that the words “organic,” “local,” and “sustainable” can become something more than a marketing tool. At Ger-Nis we believe that as we come to this crossroads, we can make a difference. We can support only those who are certified by solid world accredited certifiers. We can also support small, dedicated farmers who believe in making a difference. We believe in “bringing” good marketing sense to these growers in order to allow them, and the local infrastructure, to profit as their products move along the path to the consumer.
We understand that this crossroads includes a deep philosophical question, and we at Ger-Nis choose to take our responsibility as world suppliers, exporters and importers very seriously. We choose organic growers based on their methods of sustainability and their long dedication to organics. We prefer to work with growers on a smaller scale where we can see and feel everything from seed to mouth. Our responsibility to organics, and all of our products, does not stop at the grower level. Our responsibility includes the entire process from certification to inspection to transport and to warehouse management. Lately, one of the most important and least obvious of all our responsibilities is to ensure that we put our product in the hands of excellent customers with the same reputation that we are trying to build; we look for customers with a proven reputation for supporting an organic and sustainable way of life.
There are no short cuts in organic sustainable agriculture. For this reason, certifications are essential to our industry. We rely heavily on accredited agencies to audit us, our growers and our competition so as to assure that the industry is conducting itself with the earth in mind. We believe in and support the various organizations that are working for stricter, global-wide standards for organic certification and a stricter import/export certification process.
We are pleased to offer all of our products with not just one but several global and domestic certifying agencies in addition to the USDA organic certification.
