Jun 17, 2005

Agreement Forwards Organic FlowersSource: Various

According to an article found on www.earthvision.net, an international panel of industry experts gathered to launch a new American eco-label for sustainably produced floral products. Organic Bouquet and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) organized the symposium, “Eco-Flower Power: Sustainability Trends for the Floral Industry.” The panel included flower growers, environmental scientists, wholesalers, distributors, labor experts, certification organizations and organic trade association leaders. After taking a look at problems facing the floral industry related to pesticide use, labor issues and ecological impacts, panelists came to some conclusions and initiatives.

The Veriflora certification standard, created for the floral industry, revolves around advanced agricultural practices, social responsibility, conservation of ecological resources, water conservation, waste management, and product quality and addresses production practices ranging from soil preparation and seed planting to production, harvest and post-harvest handling. Procedures for verifying the integrity of certified flowers and ornamental plants throughout the chain-of-custody are also apparent in the standard.

“Building upon earlier certification programs primarily targeted at European markets, as well as sustainability initiatives in other agricultural arenas, Veriflora is the first sustainable agriculture standard to explicitly incorporate organic agricultural practices into its criteria,” stated the article.

The article also revealed that NSF International (NSF), an independent, not-for-profit standards writing organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), intends to use the Veriflora standard as the basis of a NSF Draft American National Standard for Trial Use under the ANSI rules.

Veriflora will verify that floral handling operations have adequate protocols to protect the integrity of certified floral products throughout the chain-of-custody. You can find out more about the Veriflora standard at www.scscertified.com/csrpurchasing/veriflora/index.html.