AUSTIN, TX--Whole Foods Market, the country's first national certified organic grocer and CCOF, one of the oldest and largest USDA-accredited third-party organic certifiers, has announced that each of the grocer's 273 stores in the United States has been individually certified, complying with stricter guidance on federal regulations.
After the USDA organic standards went into effect in 2002, a number of retailers voluntarily used a "group certification" model in which a certifier inspects a certain number of stores along with the overall company and its systems for monitoring compliance. Whole Foods Market was the first national chain to be certified under the USDA's national organic standards in 2003. In November 2008, the USDA's National Organic Program declared there could no longer be "group" certified stores and that each store must be certified individually.
"When we learned from the USDA that retail certification would become more challenging and comprehensive, our leadership unanimously decided to commit the resources to comply with the USDA's enhanced guidance for retail certification," said Margaret Wittenberg, vice-president of quality standards and public affairs for Whole Foods Market. "This program is such an important part of Whole Foods Market's commitment to organic integrity."
Under this program, CCOF verifies that Whole Foods Market:
-- Examines the current organic certification status of organic products
-- Maintains a record-keeping process that demonstrates an audit trail
for organic products
-- Ensures organic products are appropriately protected from commingling
with conventional products and contamination with prohibited materials
-- Trains store Team Members in handling practices for organic products
Whole Foods Market
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
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