...For a healthy Adam and Eve
Located in Jesup, GA 912-588-9696
Learn More
Learn More About Garden of Eat'n
Definitions
Fair Trade Certified: Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries promote better trading conditions and sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers, and mandates several social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, such as coffee, sugar, tea, bananas and chocolate. Fair Trade products may be certified by Fair Trade USA or other internationally recognized fair trade certification organizations.
Organic:
Produced via a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge or irradiation. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food. Organic growers and handlers must be certified by third-party USDA-accredited organic certifiers, and must provide a copy of their USDA Organic certification.
Natural:
While there is no regulatory definition of natural, Garden of Eat’n is a place where Natural means something. We have defined natural foods as those that contain no artificial flavorings, colorings, preservatives or additives. They are processed using non-synthetic processing methods, such as roasting, heating, enzyme treatment, fermentation, hydrolysis and extraction with natural solvents. They are also free of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, among other disallowed ingredients.
Natural meat and dairy:
We define natural meat and dairy products as those from animals that have been humanely treated for their entire lives. The animals must be fed vegetarian – preferably non-GMO – feed, and have had no use of supplemental synthetic hormones or antibiotics at any time in their lifetimes. We do not allow any dairy products that were produced using rBGH or rBST growth hormones.
Non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms): Genetic engineering is the direct human manipulation of an organism’s genetic material in a way that does not occur under natural conditions. It involves the use of recombinant DNA techniques, but does not include traditional animal and plant breeding. Any organism that is generated using these techniques is considered to be a genetically modified organism (GMO). According to the USDA, in 2009, 93% of soy, 93% of cotton and 86% of corn grown in the U.S. were GMO. It is estimated that over 90% of canola grown is GMO, and there are also commercially produced GM varieties of sugar beets, squash and Hawaiian papaya. As a result, it is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 80% of packaged products in the average U.S. or Canadian grocery store.
Garden of Eat’n aggressively seeks alternative sources for products we know contain, or are suspect to contain, GMOs. Currently, certified organic foods provide the best choice for avoiding GMOs because the technology is not allowed in organic production, which is why our first priority for products is for them to be certified organic. When organic is not available or convenient, Alfalfa’s will feature foods produced from non-GMO seed stocks. Alfalfa’s supports and recommends that vendors adhere to the standard adopted by the Non-GMO Project (www.nongmoproject.org). Products with a “no-GMO” label must be verified by the Non-GMO Project or meet a standard that allows no more than 0.5 percent of GMOs for human food, and 0.9 percent GMOs for animal feed and supplements. If a producer has not yet received verification from the Non-GMO Project, they must provide testing verification that there are no more than 0.5 percent GMOs of GMOs in that product’s ingredients.
Stop in today and let us help you get started on the road to better health.
