The organic area of your store is a terrific place to help give customers what they want, since many organic products - from dry goods to fresh foods like meat and produce - have health and nutrition information right on the label. Organic companies are often very willing to send along collateral materials to help sell their products as well. Labeling regulations are under constant scrutiny however, and this means many changes, and often, many new questions arise.

Your staff is a valuable tool in this area. Consumers are currently more concerned with knowing more information on the foods they're buying, than they are with prices, at least to some degree. Because organic products often cost more than conventional products, if you and your staff are able answer your customers' questions, it should prove to be a huge sales boost, and will increase customer loyalty.

Some of the most asked questions about organics:

Why do organic products generally cost more than conventionally grown foods?
Organic farmers face costs of more labor-intensive weeding practices, costly natural fertilizers, and a higher degree of crop loss that occurs when toxic pesticides are not used. Organic farmers have an added cost of compliance with organic certification and government programs do not subsidize organic farming.

There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production - clean up for polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, cost of health care for farmers and their workers - were factored into the price of food, organic foods would most likely be cheaper than conventional ones.

What is the difference between organic and natural?
Natural is often misrepresented in product labeling to simply imply "healthful," but "natural" only means that the product has undergone minimal processing. Unlike products that are certified organic, natural products have no certification or inspection system. Also, "natural" does not necessarily relate to growing methods or the use of preservatives.

What are the differences in the organic certifications?

• 100% Organic: Simply put, the item is made with 100% organic ingredients. No harmful pesticides, no genetically modified material.
• Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients, with strict restrictions on the remaining 5%, including no GMO material.
• Made with Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients, with strict restrictions on the remaining 30%, including no GMOs.

The science behind GMOs: it started with soybeans. Biotech companies wanted the crop to be resilient against weed killers, so they spliced foreign DNA into the soybeans. Not only do the crops contain non-soybean DNA, but also, farmers are free to apply liberal sprayings of pesticides to their crops. Tomatoes have been spliced with fish DNA, which may prove problematic for tomato eaters who have fish allergies. Also, there is evidence that the genetic modification makes crops toxic to the pollinators: butterflies, bees and birds. The other problem with pollinators is that they visit a farm that uses GMOs, and then they fly to a farm that doesn't. This has the potential to forever change the nature of species of our crops.

What do the stickers on produce mean?
Consumers can tell a lot about their produce by learning to read the code on the stickers. It's reasonably easy to do, too. For conventionally grown produce (grown with chemical fertilizers, fungicides and/or herbicides), the code has four digits. Organic produce has five digits, the first number is the number 9. Genetically modified produce also has a five digit code, beginning with the number 8.

The numeric system was developed by the Produce Electronic Identification Board, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Association, a Newark, Delaware-based trade group for the produce industry. As of October 2001, the board had assigned more than 1,200 codes for individual produce items.

Why do some stores label their produce and meats with a Country of Origin Label (COOL)?
Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration is discussing the details of how to implement a system for labeling the country of origin on edibles. Many people in the industry think it's just a matter of time before it is mandatory that the country of origin is noted, so many food companies and stores are just getting a head start on the regulation.

Incidentally, more than 90% of all respondents to a recent supermarketguru.com survey said they would like to see all produce and meat clearly labeled with a country of origin.

What are the benefits of eating organics?
One of the best things about eating organic products is that you are helping to clean up the planet by not buying items that are dusted heavily with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. This too helps to keep you and your family healthy, because you won't run the risk of ingesting those poisons. Animals on organic farms are kept and killed in a more humane manner than the animals on conventional farms. They are not fed high doses of antibiotics - which compromise our ability to fight infections. However, one of the most tangible benefits of eating organics is taste. Take a bite out of an organically grown carrot, and then taste a conventionally grown one. You can really get a sense of flavor in organic items.

What are the benefits - as a retailer - of selling organics?
Here, too, there are many perks. You, as a retailer and an individual, have many of the same benefits that your consumers do. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to a more sustainable world. You are helping to promote fair labor practices for organic farm workers. You are supporting more humane slaughter of animals; chickens and cows kept for eggs and milk are treated better on organic farms.

From an entirely retail angle, if you push your organic items, it helps raise awareness among your customers. This will help farmers keep their costs lower, which will encourage more sales, which means a bigger profit margin for you.

Also, it's clear that shoppers put a lot of faith in their supermarket. You, as a retailer, are marketing your image just as much as you are selling food. When you evoke a positive, helpful image in the minds of your customers - who find it important that you share their values - you have turned perception into opportunity by building loyalty.

Photo by Dena O'Hara.