Most shoppers know the value behind an organic certification. It means the USDA has reviewed the operations that went into creating a product and that it is indeed better for the environment. However, that seal also means the company had the means to put the time, money and effort to undergo that review process. As Clyde Tressler writes in his New York Times blog, a group of environmentally-conscience farmers got together to create a different certification: “Certified Naturally Grown” (CNG). The CNG is, as Certified Naturally Grown Inc. puts it, a way to assure strict growing practices while removing the financial barriers imposed by a certified organic label.
The blog also traces the history of USDA’s organic label and the National Organic Program (NOP). It also explains the work involved for a company to receive an organic certification.