
|
Preferred Practices for Idaho’s Bounty Co-op Producers
Products Sold: Individual producers may only sell products they themselves have grown, processed or crafted. An individual producer may not buy wholesale from someone else and then retail the product through the IBC, unless they are buying ingredients for further value-added processing. If ingredients are bought, the producer must add value to the product. Simply repackaging the ingredients is not adding value. (For example, you can sell tomatoes that you grow, but not tomatoes that you buy from someone else unless you buy the tomatoes and make salsa to sell through IBC. As another example, you can buy flour or cornmeal and make bread or tortillas to sell, but you can't buy bread from someone else and sell it through IBC.).
Back to Top
Preferred Growing Practices: No GMO foods or products may be sold through the Co-op. No meat, poultry or egg products from Confined Animal Feeding Operations may be sold through the Co-op, nor may they be used as ingredients in processed foods. Animals may not be treated with bovine growth hormone nor may routine antibiotics be used in feeds. Our assumption is that supermarket meats originate in CAFOs so meat, poultry, or egg products used as ingredients in processed or prepared foods should be bought directly from Idaho farmers or Idaho aggregators. They do not have to be bought from Co-op members, although some members may find this as an added benefit of your product.
Beef, pork, lamb, goat (and other meat products where applicable) sold through the Co-op and delivered via our transportation system must be processed in a USDA inspected plant. Poultry to be sold through the network and delivered via our transportation system must be processed in either a USDA inspected plant or a state licensed and inspected plant that operates under an on-farm exemption. Each package must have either a USDA or state approved stamp. The network shall not deliver meats processed by custom butchers whose packages are stamped, “Not for Sale”. Any meat packages brought to deliver day stamped "Not for Sale" will be returned to the producer.
Back to Top
Preferred practices for processed or prepared foods: Processed and prepared foods that are offered for sale shall be submitted with a complete list of ingredients. Ingredients that originate in Idaho shall be noted. The producer should estimate the Idaho content of the product. The list of ingredients must be included in the product description displayed at the Co-op's website. Local ingredients should be used whenever available. Out of state ingredients will only be allowed when local ones are not available. All foods must meet our sustainability standards.
Producers shall not include CAFO meats, poultry, or eggs or derivatives from them as ingredients in their processed products.
Genetically modified animals, plants, seeds, grains, or fruits shall not knowingly be used as ingredients.
Customer members of the Idaho’s Bounty Co-op support local foods produced with sustainable practices that show good stewardship of the environment. Consequently, they have a preference for organically or naturally produced foods that originate in Idaho and will be much more likely to buy these foods, which they regard as superior to the foods offered by supermarkets.
Back to Top
Organic producers must be in compliance with the National Organic Program (NOP) and provide the Co-op upon request a signed affidavit or a copy of their current certificate. National Organic Program states the following exemption: § 205.101 Exemptions and exclusions from certification.(a) Exemptions. (1) A production or handling operation that sells agricultural products as "organic" but whose gross agricultural income from organic sales totals $5,000 or less annually is exempt from certification under subpart E of this part and from submitting an organic system plan for acceptance or approval under § 205.201 but must comply with the applicable organic production and handling requirements of subpart C of this part and the labeling requirements of § 205.310. The products from such operations shall not be used as ingredients identified as organic in processed products produced by another handling operation. All NOP standards online: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards.html
To protect the integrity of our marketing system, IBC reserves the right to verify via physical inspection, the production claims and geographic production location of products offered for sale through our marketplace.
Due to a ruling by the Idaho State Tax Commission, IBC is required to collect and pay sales taxes on all non-food products sold through the network.
Back to Top
All products from new producer members must be reviewed by the Compliance and Standards Committee to ensure that they are eligible for sale through the cooperative. To review your product(s), this information is required:
A statement regarding the geographic location in Idaho of the origin of your products and that you are the grower or producer. In the statement, the producer must give the exact location(s) where the crop(s) was or were grown, animals were raised, or processed product was prepared.
A statement regarding your production practices, which explains whether you use herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers in producing the product. No animal products, byproducts or GMO feed may be used in animal feeds of meats sold through the cooperative. If your product is certified organic, include a copy of the organic certification.
For processed products, a list of ingredients, note any of Idaho origin and estimate the Idaho content of the product, and a statement regarding the processing practices. Also include the location of the kitchen or processing facility for each product. A current copy of the license for that kitchen must be on file with the Co-op.
The information regarding new products from new producers must be sent by email. If you do not have email, they should be mailed to the committee.
Back to Top
|