Natural Grocers carries only 100% USDA Certified Organic Produce

We believe that organics are important to your health and to the health of the Earth. When you shop with Natural Grocers, you don't have to read the fine print on every label to avoid buying conventional produce, and you don't have to worry about cross-contamination. Everything's certified organic, and it always has been since day one. Many other fresh markets sell non-organic produce commingled with organics - so always ask!

Learn why Natural Grocers only sells Certified Organic Produce

To provide an alternative for those who have chemical sensitivities: Many of our customers are highly sensitive to chemical residues in their food, so they can't eat fruits and vegetables that have been treated with chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Although most of these chemicals have been listed as "generally accepted as safe" by government agencies if ingested in small amounts, we are concerned that they may either accumulate over time or eventually cause health problems. In fact, many chemicals that are now banned started off on the "safe list", but were shown to be harmful years later, after animals and people developed symptoms from prolonged minute exposure.

To avoid cross-contamination: Some 'Natural' grocers tout their organic certification, but then sell organic and non-organic produce side-by-side. Although it is theoretically possible to keep organic and contaminated produce separate most of the time, we do not believe this is accomplished by "certified organic" retailers all the time. We prefer to carry only certified organic products, to avoid cross-contamination altogether. Of course, we only use USDA National Organic Program approved cleaning solutions and handling procedures.

To make produce better taste and have higher nutrition value: Some customers also find organic produce has a better taste and higher nutritional value than conventional produce. It is known that plants that are "challenged" while growing -- by insects, drought, sun, and other environmental stressors -- often are richer in color and taste than their "coddled" corporate cousins. And some plants generate noticeably higher concentrations of certain beneficial phytochemicals only in response to the stress of a natural growing environment.

To reduce environmental degradation caused by traditional chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers: Another worrisome long term effect of conventional chemical aided agriculture is the damage to the environment and depletion of non-renewable resources. It is now known that the vast petroleum-based fertilizer run off flowing into the Mississippi River has suffocated and killed off all the aquatic life over thousands of square miles of the Gulf of Mexico.

To help alleviate the true cost of conventional produce: Lastly, you will notice that the prices on certified organic produce tend to be higher than on conventional produce. It helps to understand that natural and organic food production often does not have the huge economies of scale of corporate agriculture, nor the higher yields per acre of intensely fertilized crops treated with chemical pesticides and herbicides. However, keep in mind that organic agriculture also does not poison the environment with increased nitrogen runoff, create ocean dead zones, or toy with the unknown effects of genetically modifying food.

The true cost of conventional agriculture is higher than it may seem, because for the moment the hidden costs are paid through the accumulation of environmental contamination and poor public health, instead of at the supermarket.

Other important things to know about Organic Produce

Organic produce may not look perfectly formed: Some chemical treatments used in conventional agriculture are necessary to produce high yields and perfectly formed, blemish free foods. And more to the point, the typical Natural Grocers customer does not expect every piece of produce to look perfect.

Whenever possible, we source our produce locally: Since many of our stores are in the desert West and all are in North America, we often must source out-of-state and imported produce during the winter. We are also seeing that many Certified Organic farms are now able to sell everything they produce directly to consumers, which is a good thing, but this sometimes means we bring in foods from other states evening during the local harvest season. We expect this situation will improve as more and more agricultural land is converted to Certified Organic farming to increase the overall supply of organics.

We focus on seasonal organic produce: Our selection of organic produce is admittedly sometimes a bit thin. Please keep in mind that growing seasons, weather events, temperature trends, and transportation issues all impact our ability to have access to quality organic products all the time. What you can be sure of is that what we do sell is always fresh, flavorful, grown as near as possible, and is 100% certified organic.