certified organic

In order for our produce to state that it is "certified organic" it must have been grown in compliance with the standards of the USDA's National Organic Program - involving the land, farming, pest control, weed control, harvesting, and the post-harvest process. These practices are then verified by independent state or private organizations. Pure Pacific Organics' land and processing facility are certifed by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).

For the ground to be considered organic, the land must either have been farmed 100% organically for a minimum of three years, or never farmed before. Then ground and water samples are taken to establish if the soil is free of any contamination. Next, a farm plan is developed that enhances the fertility and health of the soil. All the above must be approved by a USDA certified organization, you can then begin to farm.

When you begin farming, every step must follow accepted organic procedures. This includes organically grown seed, organic fertilizers, and no chemical herbicides or insecticides.

Once the crop is grown and ready for harvest, the harvest procedure must be verified to establish that nothing in the harvest process would in any way compromise the product.

Harvest equipment must be clean, but cleaned with organic products so that every surface that the product touches is not a source for cross-contamination.

Then in the post-harvest handling, we follow a strict regime to ensure the integrity of the product. The produce is cooled and washed in designated cooling equipment that is not used for conventional produce. It is then stored in a manner that makes sure no water run off from conventional produce can drip onto organic produce.

In the shipping process, each organic item is designated on the bill of lading and placed in the truck in a manner that assures that melting ice or dripping water from conventional product cannot touch the organics.

All of these processes are documented and kept by the grower so that every case of organic produce can be traced back to the section of the farm, the harvester, the day of harvest, the processor, the truck and finally the customer.

These are all steps that are taken to assure that when you see the words "certified organic" on our product you can be sure they are just that.