It can be challenging to stay up to date with the best health practices. It seems like wherever you go online, there are people advocating for various lifestyles, trends, or ways of eating. When it comes to the benefits of choosing organic products, this messaging can vary by source and may not always be clear. Pure Flavor® is excited to celebrate Canada’s National Organic Week by giving you an inside look at organic produce, how it is grown, & how it can help support a healthy lifestyle.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ORGANIC –
From the 10,000 ft level, regulations for organic produce vary between countries however since Pure Flavor ® grows & distributes fruits & vegetables throughout North America, there are specific USDA guidelines to be certified organic that we must adhere to, regardless of where the product is grown.
We are proud to say that our full line of greenhouse grown vegetables is grown with the same sustainable methods, ensuring safe & healthy products. We utilize Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems to manage pests, instead of the use of pesticides. Insects like Ladybugs are sent in to hunt bugs that may be detrimental to our plants’ health and vitality.
Sustainability is one of our top priorities; high-tech climate control systems carefully regulate energy consumption in the greenhouse to ensure plants are thriving in an optimal environment, without energy waste. We recycle 100% of the water that the plants do not use and re-introduce it into our irrigation system. Zero wastewater gets discharged into local waterways ensuring our closed loop irrigation system is always in use. For our new Phase IV greenhouse that will be coming online later this year, we will be collecting & recycling 100% of the rainwater captured to help with our irrigation programs.
NEXT-GENERATION SUSTAINABILITY –
From seed to harvest, we control everything from temperature and humidity to the nutritional profile of our plants. In addition to our USDA Certified Organic produce, our full line of greenhouse vegetables is grown with the same sustainable methods, ensuring safe, healthy and virtually organic product.
Growing Fresh Flavors
We search the world testing hundreds of vegetable varieties to bring you the perfect flavors for every taste, preference and recipe.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
We use good bugs like Ladybugs to take care of the bad bugs in our greenhouses. This method eliminates spraying so you can enjoy produce the way it should be, all natural!
Sustainable Growing Practices
High-tech greenhouse climate control systems carefully regulate energy consumption to ensure plants are thriving in an optimal environment without energy waste.
Closed Loop Irrigation System
This system avoids waste by capturing any water the plant does not consume and reusing it to replace what is lost from evaporation.
Recycled Growing Medium
Our plants are grown in coconut fibre and other recycled mediums. Selecting the right growing medium is critical to overall plant health and strength but also to sustainability.
Packing Automation
Our investment in packing automation allows us to efficiently supply millions of Tomatoes and Cucumbers to the southeast year-round!
Supplemental Lighting
With the use of supplemental lighting we can grow year-round by providing the plants with the optimal amount of light.
Misting System
We maintain favorable and consistent growing conditions through misting systems that keep humidity levels above 30% to encourage continuous plant growth.
Energy Screens
Regulating sunlight entering the greenhouse and insulating with energy screens allows us to maintain a stable climate in the greenhouse.
WHY THIS MATTERS –
Why does what goes on behind-the-scenes matter to you when it comes to Certified Organic products? When you purchase greenhouse grown organic fruits & vegetables, you are getting a sustainably sourced product. Grown in a controlled environment where the plants are given the appropriate amounts of water, nutrition, heating, and crop care, there is comfort in understanding the growing process that has significantly less carbon footprint than being grown in an open field and exposed to natural environmental issues. Greenhouse grown vegetables are grown with consistency, size, quality, and most importantly, flavor.
The Canada Organic Trade Association’s five main benefits of choosing organic produce include:
- Organic food helps you avoid pesticide exposure
- Organic keeps Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) out of your food
- Organic supports a healthier farming lifestyle & community
- Organic mitigates climate change
- Organic promotes biodiversity
One of the most amazing things about organically grown produce is that it is good for you and good for the environment! This is why we are proud to be expanding the production of our organic vegetables in the years ahead. Construction has begun on our new 40-acre, high-tech, fully lit facility, which will be dedicated to Pure Flavor®’s organic programs growing Cucumbers & Tomatoes! Click here to learn more about the organic expansion. Traditional farms that utilize pesticides can harm pollinator populations—insects that we need to grow food! By relying on our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, we are using good bugs like Ladybugs (and other beneficial bugs) to take care of the bad bugs to remove the need for pesticides. Through using IPM programs & practicing extensive water recycling, Pure Flavor ® grows with our future in mind.
ORGANICS IN PRACTICE –
Join us September 12-18 to celebrate Canada’s National Organic Week, the largest annual celebration of organic food and products. Eating organic fruits & veggies is just one part of fuelling a healthy life and a great way to celebrate this week.
Providing your children with the healthiest produce options possible is a priority for families, the consistency in availability of greenhouse grown produce ensures that retail & foodservice operators have a regular supply, regardless of the season. Purchasing organic means thinking about you and your family’s health in the short term & long term. In the short term, you’re providing more nutrient-dense produce to your family. In the long term, you’re protecting water resources, farmable land, & pollinators. When you purchase Certified Organic products, you know that you are positively impacting the environment.
To explore Pure Flavor®’s full lineup of organic produce, you can find it here
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