Associated Press
07-08-07
Organic is whole new way to sell
Grocers getting stores certified
By ERIN CONROY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
QUINCY, Mass. -Tara Withington combs the aisles of Hannaford Bros. supermarket for what she
deems healthy enough to feed her family. Besides reading ingredients and
studying her fruit for bruises, Withington says she needs a guarantee the organic
foods she buys are kept far, far away from the store's conventional products.
"I need to know it's natural and I'm not giving them chemicals," said Withington,
33.
Chasing the success of Whole Foods Market, and the announcement last year
that Wal-Mart would double its organic products, several regional grocers are
going deeper into the market with a government-backed seal as "certified organic
retailers." In recent years smaller supermarket chains such as Kroger, Lund Food
Holdings and now Maine-based Hannaford represent a growing number securing
the certification.
Though organic foods are certified by the USDA as free of pesticides and
hormones, this designation says the retailer will comply with handling standards
nearly as meticulous as those for kosher or vegan foods.
At its simplest, organic broccoli cannot be stacked atop conventional broccoli,
organic apples cannot be washed with regular apples, and organic ham cannot
be exposed to the same deli slicer as the traditional cold cuts, for fear chemicals
will be transferred.
Sam Beattie, a specialist at Iowa State University's Institute for Food Safety
and Security, said the certification is the best way for regular supermarkets to
get a leg up in the organic food industry, where sales in the U.S. went from $6
billion in 2000 to $14 billion in 2005.
"They recognize that the organic foods industry is increasing in leaps and bounds
over the last decade," he said. "In stores like Whole Foods where all of the food
is organic, there's no issue associated with segregation. But regular grocery
stores, where maybe a quarter of the food is organic, become suspect."
Beattie said it's crucial for supermarkets to do everything possible to avoiding
comingling and cross-contamination.
"That's why this certification is critical," he said. "It's the only way for a store to
address these issues."
The stores voluntarily agree to subject themselves to on-site inspections by San
Diego-based Quality Assurance International, one of a number of third parties
chosen through the USDA. The group also certifies Whole Foods.
The move by Hannaford is being watched carefully by other chains considering
similar measures, such as Massachusetts-based Shaw's Supermarkets and Stop
& Shop, according to spokesmen for both companies.
Perhaps the most challenging requirement for certification is getting
documentation that chronicles the life of each food - where it came from, how it
was grown and the course it took to get to the store.
The certification in May took Hannaford about four months of staff training and
meant completely revamping all of its 159 stores. In the delis, counters and
equipment are set aside to handle unprocessed meats. Organic breads are in
separate ovens in the bakeries.
Placed high on the cooler shelves far from traditional fruits and veggies are
boxes of fresh produce. They are carefully taken to the organic section islands
with bright, large dividers to emphasize their distinction and guard them from
other foods. Special chemical-free cleaning agents are used for those products,
and employees stand by to monitor the area and answer customers' questions.
To maintain the title of certified organic retailer, a chain of Hannaford's size pays
a fee of about $500,000 a year. That cost covers annual inspections, but not the
cost of new equipment, training or store reorganization.
Santo Carnabuci, who manages the Hannaford in Quincy, said customers were
beginning to demand reassurance as they became more in tune to what organic
really means.
"People that are totally into buying organic foods, they understand that it cannot
co-exist with something that isn't organic," he said. "Our responsibility is making
sure the products stay organic from point A to point B, when it's in your hands. If
you don't take all of the steps and keep things separate, it nullifies it."
There has been a push since the certification to steer customers toward healthier
eating, Carnabuci said. At the stores, there is at least four times more produce
than there was just four months ago, and about 10 percent of items on the
shelves are under Hannaford's organic brand name "Nature's Place."
And, there are products that customers would be surprised to find a healthy
alternative for, popping up alongside them in the aisles - the best example being
organic beer.
Barbara Haumann of the Organic Trade Association said the certification is
important to the industry because the Department of Agriculture doesn't have
enough personnel to monitor grocery stores throughout the country.
"One of the advantages of a retailer becoming certified is that it shows they are
taking that extra step," Haumann said. "It's important to know that if you're eating
something organic, water from another food didn't drip on it in a storage room."
Rosanne O'Hare, 47, of Quincy, said she likes knowing someone is looking over
her grocer's shoulder.
"It makes a difference to me," she said. "If my food is prepared with other foods
that have pesticides, it would be contaminated and it wouldn't be organic. It
would defeat the whole purpose."
If it weren't for that watchful eye, the customers would never know what they
were eating, Carnabuci said.
"If that product is touching something it shouldn't be, is it really going to be that
different? Probably not. But then it's no longer organic."