 |
|
Organic coconut oil farming puts greater emphasis on the entire production and distribution chain than the end product itself. For instance, its production standards strongly discourage any use of synthetic chemical inputs such as pesticides, fertilizers, food additives, antibiotics, etc.
Beware of inconsiderate opportunists who would employ unethical marketing tactics. It's so easy to put a label that says "100 percent organic", "certified organic", "made with organic...", etc. Yeah right! Don't let these tricksters fool you.
I've tried at least a dozen virgin coconut oil brands here in the Philippines. Believe it or not, they're all certified organic according to their labeling. This is unlikely even for a country famous for its high-quality coconut oil.
Certified Organic Tips
In my experience, genuine organically certified coconut oil brands generally cost higher. So if the price is relatively too cheap, it's probably not certified.
Another way of making sure is by smelling and tasting the oil. If it has a mildly sweet fresh coconut aroma and taste, you most likely have a winner in your hands. But if it smells somewhat sour and/or tastes like cooking oil, forget it.
But what if you've never seen, let alone smelled and tasted a fresh coconut in your life before? How then can you tell the difference? Now that could be a problem.
What about official logos of certifying bodies on the label, you might ask? I know that misrepresenting these institutions usually carry with them civil and/or criminal repercussions. But apparently, all the logos, emblems, insignias or symbols in the world mean nothing here. It appears that anybody and everybody can use them and get away with it, anyway.
Which is the Certified One?
For instance, a problem has cropped up. Because certification is expensive, people are selling copies of their Certified Organic certificates to non-certified organic farmers and producers, who in turn are passing their products off as certified organic coconut oil. So many of the Certified Organic certificates are copies of copies of copies.
The way to tell which ones are legitimate is to call the certifying agency and check with them to see if the company in question is registered with them.
Take Heart
At the end of the day though, it might be comforting to know that coconut farming is basically organic in nature, at least here in my country it is. The Department of Agriculture says that 85% of coconuts in the Philippines are organically grown, anyhow. Maybe that should offer some much needed relief.
Return from Certified Organic Coconut Oil to Organic Coconut Oil
Return to Home Page
