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Organic coffee is a good example of food vetting or food sourcing – people want to know where their food comes from so they can follow it from source to purchase to the dinner table. Consumers are demanding to know how their food was grown and harvested, is it environmentally friendly, how are the farmers and land affected by the crop, and whether the food is truly good for us. Many are willing to pay more for this assurance. Organic coffee equals quality coffee. It is grown using production systems that replenish and maintain soil fertility and avoids the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic coffee farmers use methods and materials allowed in organic production. Organic coffee brands often carry numerous certification seals. Both the USDA Organic seal and the Quality Assurance International Certified Organic seal assure consumers that the beans are grown using approved organic farming methods. The Rainforest Alliance certification, which sports a frog logo, ensures that coffee beans are grown following guidelines that protect the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities. Bird Friendly certification, created by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, is the strictest of all the third-party environmental standards. Coffee growers must first meet organic standards and then ensure that they are maintaining forest cover that provides a habitat for birds and other wildlife. Biologists have found that a shade coffee plantation can offer the same environment for wildlife as an untouched forest. Many organic coffees are shade grown. The first Fairtrade certified food products were coffee and tea. Though this certification has some critics the movement attempts to provide market access to small, marginalized producers, connecting them to consumers with fewer middlemen who reduce their profits. It aims to help farmers and workers make a living wage and provides opportunities to improve skills and farming techniques. Almost a half million farmers around the world have grown coffee under Fairtrade certifications. Americans consume one-fifth of the world’s coffee, making the US the largest consumer in the world. The type of coffee we buy impacts global markets. If Americans are interested in organic, fair trade coffee more will be produced. Many of the organic coffee brands available are excellent with varieties that range from mild to robust. Brands you might consider exploring, all of which are organic and bird-friendly, include: BeanTrees, based in Sacramento, has been producing quality organic coffees since 1993. Beantrees.com Caffe Ibis has been roasting artisan coffee since 1976. This roasting process is done in small batches and is time consuming but it produces superior tasting coffee. Caffeibis.com Golden Valley Farms is a family-owned artisan coffee roaster in Pennsylvania. Goldenvalleyfarms.com Equator Estate coffee, named 2010 Roasted of the Year, is a women-owned, green business. Equatorcoffees.com © NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc. Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 8 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller. Current titles include: The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010 The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010 The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009 The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009 The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008 The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008 The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007 For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to The Nutrition Experts Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and receive current Health News, be eligible for discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7. HealthNewsDigest.com For advertising/promotion, email: tvmike13@healthnewsdigest.com Or call toll free: 877- 634-9180 Top of Page 
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