Organic Food Processing: Sifting Out The Bad Stuff
At the height of the Gold Rush in California, there were a great number of people who were hoping to strike it rich that blanketed the mountainsides. They spent many long hours and days hunched over a little metal pan, sifting through the muddy waters and dry ground for even the tiniest sliver of a golden nugget. This was a very rudimentary process that was practiced to find treasure.
During water purification, those tiny slivers would not be treasure; they would be impurities that need to be flushed out in order to have clean water. In that light, it is hard to tell which method seems to be backwards. Organic food processing works very much like that. It is a prudent and essential task to guarantee freshness and excellent quality.
Processors and handlers must ensure that the clean organic grains, legumes, and vegetables remain that way before they can be used to make other organic products. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) created the National Organic Program in 2002 to, among other responsibilities, oversee and regulate organic food processing. The regulations are different from other USDA rules and possibly stricter because the foods are organic and cannot contain unnatural ingredients.
Much Ado About Organic Food Processing
One very important rule before processing any organic food is cleanliness. The processing facilities must not contain any chemicals, or residue of chemicals anywhere that organic food will be handled and prepared. Any cleaners that are on the premises must be on the list of acceptable products from the National Organic Program (NOP). This also goes for any additives and synthetic aids that are used during any preparation.
The facility where organic food processing occurs must be certified organic through the NOP. The program does allow for dual processing of organic food and non-organic food, but there are strict cleaning guidelines to make sure that cross-contamination does not happen. Organic food manufacturing rules are important and should be followed during the processing and handling of organic ingredients.
The organic industry has exploded in sales over the recent months, with a growth of approximately twenty percent each year. Supermarkets and department stores have begun to incorporate their own organic sections. Consumers have proved by now that they are will to dish a little extra from their wallets for high quality, all natural foods and products. Because of the increasing demand, organic food processors must be very careful that they are offering the best.