what makes a coffee organic?
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W W W . B U Y O R G A N I C C O F F E E . O R G
WHAT MAKES A COFFEE ORGANIC?
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The world consumes more than two
billion cups of coffee a day.
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In the USA more than 50% of the
population drinks coffee.
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Statistics are hard to come by but
organic coffee makes up only a small
percentage of total coffee output or
consumption.
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What makes a coffee organic and why
would you want to drink healthy organic coffee and not regular java?
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Healthy organic coffee has been
around for a long, long time.
Unfortunately in the modern era the
use of pesticides and herbicides has
entered the picture in growing many
crops, including otherwise healthy
organic coffee.
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Although non-organic contaminants do
not necessarily reduce the beneficial
health effects of a healthy cup of
organic coffee the non-organic
contaminants cause problems of their own.
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A study by the Australian Food Standards
Authority revealed that as many as 133
contaminants may be in a cup of
commercially available coffee. These
contaminants include metals such as
aluminum and zinc, pesticide residues,
ochratoxin A, acrylamide, furan, and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
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Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are found to cause cancer. Furans have been associated with skin disorders, liver problems, certain kinds of cancers, impairment to the reproductive, endocrine, and immune system, as well as effects on embryonic development.
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Drinking organic coffee probably does
not increase the health effects of
drinking coffee that come from
antioxidants and caffeine.
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But organic coffee does not contain
residues of pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides or synthetic fertilizers.
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What makes coffee organic is that is
grown in uncontaminated soil,
processed and stored separately from
regular coffee.
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The end result of organic coffee
farming is preservation of the soil and
the water table by a process referred to
as sustainable agriculture. But, how do you know your coffee is organic?
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Organic Coffee Certification
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The United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) certifies organically
produced food including organic coffee.
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Because the only coffee grown in the
USA is grown in Hawaii the USDA uses
other certifying agencies who work on
the USDA’s behalf.
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In Latin America where the majority of
the world’s organic coffee is produces
Bio Latina is a certifying agency for the USDA.
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If your organic coffee originated in Latin
America it is likely that it was subject to
Bio Latina organic coffee certification.
Bio Latina is located in Lima, Peru.
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The company certifies farms, ranches, and forests for sustainable practices on behalf of organizations throughout the world. Bio Latina certifies in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua and Venezuela as well as in Panamá, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador Ecuador and Mexico.
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The label on a bag of healthy organic
coffee from Latin America may say that
it is USDA certified. However, it may be
Bio Latina organic coffee certification
on behalf of the USDA that guarantees a pure cup of organic coffee.
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Whether your organic coffee is certified
by Bio Latina or another agency on
behalf of the USDA you should see a
USDA Certified sticker on the bag.
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Other certifications such as UTZ or
Rainforest Alliance let you know that
coffee was grown under sustainable
agricultural conditions although the
coffee might not meet the strict definition of organic coffee.