Huerta Los Tamarindos | Certifications | Organic Food, Farm, Restaurant, Event Center, School, Cabo San Lucas, San Jose Del Cabo

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The "100% Organic Produce" label — is your assurance that the product bearing it has met the Canadian government's regulatory requirements for organic products.

As of the June 30, 2009, Regulation of Biological Products require mandatory certification to comply with the National Organic Regulations of organic agricultural products are traded internationally and inter-otorgandoel federal seal of organic agricultural products.

Organic production prohibits the use of:

• Pesticide chemicals.
• Antibiotics.
• Synthetic hormones.
• genetic engineering and other excluded practices.
• Sewage Sludge.
• Cloning animals or using their products.
• Excess food processing, artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation.

However, what is more important is what makes organic farming for soil health and the environment. Organic farmers take care of their soil fertility and produce healthy food through:

• Rotate your crops to balance the nutrients in the soil and weaken pests.
• Composting manure and use "green" to add nitrogen fertilizer and organic matter to the soil, keep weeds and prevent drought and soil erosion.
• Use of beneficial insects or mechanical and manual methods to control pests and weeds.

These methods help to promote essential microbiology of soil, wildlife diversity, prevent pest outbreaks, protect the soil from erosion, prevent water pollution, and use much less energy than conventional farming methods.

Organic certification is a rigorous process that requires producers who adhere to a strict set of rules that go beyond all food safety laws. These include:

• The use of land that has been free of chemicals for at least three years.
• Detailed logging and audits maintenance, which means:
    - Full traceability in food - everything that comes in an organic product must be documented and
       traceable.
    - Routine inspections in the place.

The use of the organic logo is optional.

The 100% Organic Produce logo is only allowed for products that have organic matter content 100% and has been certified according to the requirements for organic production.

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created by president Abraham Lincoln in 1862. During that time, 48 percent of the population were farmers and needed information and high quality seeds to cultivate their fields.

Since that time the USDA has continued its support of farmers and ranchers in the United States. However their role has greatly expanded.

• The USDA directs national campaigns to end hunger through programs such as Food Stamps, School Lunches and Breakfasts,    and WIC.
• The USDA supervises 192 million acres of national parks and grasslands across the country.
• The USDA is the largest conservation agency in the United States, promoting volunteer campaigns to protect the soil, water
   and wildlife of the 70 per cent of American land that is privately owned.
• The USDA provides homes, modern telecommunication and drinking water to the country's rural sectors.
• The USDA is responsible for the safety of products derived from beef, poultry and eggs.
• The USDA is an investigative leader on themes that stretch from human nutrition to new harvesting technology, which aims
   to improve the cultivation of crops while using the least possible amount of water and pesticides.
• The USDA helps guarantee an open market for the nation's agricultural products and provides food aid to those in need in
   other countries.

The USDA offers an organic seal for organic products that meet the requirements the Department of Agriculture has established
in the National Organic Program (NOP) which began on October 22, 2002. Products bearing the organic seal are subject to annual inspection by certified agents. These agents are members of non-profit organizations supported by the USDA who certify different farms in Mexico as well as the United States. The organizations can be found in different parts of the United States, such as Washington, California, Oregon, etc. Each organization has a manual of regulations, prohibited practices, labeling instructions, fines, and tabulations for organic certification, and each manual strictly adheres to USDA regulations.

Huerta Los Tamarindos its cultivated fields and packing plant, has been certified by Primus Labs. The National Organic Program in conjunction with food producers and packaging agents, assures the consumer that these products are nationally certified as organic at every step of the process.

The percentage of organic ingredients in each product is a basic requirement for obtaining the USDA label, which is divide into the following three categories:

• Some Organic Ingredients: processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. These products are not certified organic and can only state on the list of ingredients that they contain some organic elements. For example: in a tomato sauce in which the only organic ingredient used is herbs, the list of ingredients would reflect this.
• Organic: the processed product contains between 70 and 95 percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and water).
• 100 Percent Organic: the product is cultivated and processed with 100 percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). The USDA organic seal is applied.

Essentially, the organic certification process is a simple concept. An authorized organic inspection and certification agent evaluates each agricultural producer to determine if they are in compliance with organic regulations and standards. Those that are in compliance obtain certification and are allowed to use the corresponding logo and certificates to document that their products are certified organic and thus provide a guarantee to consumers that the product they are purchasing is authentically organic.

About

Huerta Los Tamarindos is an organic farm and restaurant located in San Jose Del Cabo. We offer farm tours, cooking classes, and also can provide an outdoor event center for parties and gatherings.