Aloecorp gets international organic seal
and cosmetic industries, says it has secured an international
organic certification for skin care applications, which could prove
a valid alternative to the soon-to-be defunct USDA organic
certification, reports Simon Pitman.
The company says it secured the certification in response to consumer calls for safe and healthy skin care products following an application for Organic Certification status for its aloe plantations and processing facilities in Lyford, Texas and Gonzalez, Mexico. The certification also extends to food, beverage and supplement products.
"More and more consumers are buying organic, and that is a trend that will continue to grow," says Walt Jones, Aloecorp's vice president of Sales and Marketing. "Though many non-organic products remain safe for internal and external use, Aloecorp remains committed to meeting our customers' needs and producing the highest quality products available on the market. It's a good product for people who want to avoid pesticides and herbicides for any number of health reasons, particularly those with chemical sensitivities."
Jones also indicated that many of Aloecorp's long-term customers are now requesting the company's organic product line in order to meet customer expectations.
Organic certification has become a bone of contention for company's supplying organic cosmetics ingredients and products to the US market of late, following the decision by the USDA to withdraw its organic certification program.
The move, which is currently being contended by Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps and the Organic Consumer's Association in the US law courts, highlights a hole in the US market for organic cosmetics certification, which could see a shift towards international bodies.
Aloecorp received its Organic Certification from BCS öko-Garantie, an independent, internationally recognized organic inspection and certification organization located in Nuremberg, Germany. The move means that the company's organic aloe vera raw material ingredients are Organically Certified for use in food and dietary supplement products on a worldwide basis in such markets as the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America. This includes its ACTIValoe and Certified Plus gel and whole leaf powder products.
With US organic cosmetics certification now, at best, in a state of limbo, it could mean that increasingly international bodies such as BCS will be providing future certification for products sold nation-wide.
Speaking about the strict guidelines stipulated by BCS to fulfill the certification, Jones indicated that it takes a minimum of three years of cultivating the harvests and land organically and without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and a commitment to continue in such a manner thereafter, in order to seek Organic Certification.
Additionally, Aloecorp recently received renewal of its Kosher Certification for the sixth year in a row. Certification was provided by Kosher Supervision of America, the largest recognized and accepted Orthodox Kosher Certification agency based in the western US representing hundreds of thousands of Kosher consumers.
