About organic JAS certification and pesticide-free

The manager checks the websites of cafes and roasters not only in Japan but all over the world. He gives feedback on the methods of expression that he thinks are good and continues to improve the shop. Even at this very moment, he is writing some code behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, I found a store that said, "Our store is a JAS organic certified factory." Oh, JAS organic. It's a very strict system that means they make products that meet Japanese agricultural standards. If we could call ourselves that, we might be able to deliver safe and secure products to our customers... After various investigations from acquisition to operation, I got the feeling that the price of coffee beans would increase dramatically, so I decided to "try again next time."

Naturally, at Roasting Lab , the manager is qualified in accordance with the Food Sanitation Act and performs hygiene management in accordance with HACCP . Therefore, just because the product is not JAS organic does not mean that it is of inferior quality.

Organic JAS is given to products that are grown without the use of banned pesticides on the bean farms (this is a very rough guide). In order to release these as roasted beans while still being organic JAS certified, banned pesticides must not be mixed in during the transportation or manufacturing process. Therefore, when an importer divides coffee beans that they have procured with Organic JAS into small bags, they cannot label them as organic JAS, even if they were grown using organic farming methods. This is because the importer's dividing equipment also handles beans that are not organic JAS, so there is a "possibility" of pesticide contamination.

I really admire stores that sell roasted beans that are organically certified by the JAS organic standard.

So, is it not okay to say that beans roasted in a factory that is not certified by the Organic JAS are organically grown? The answer is no. Well, it's easy to imagine. There is no way that something that meets strict standards and something that doesn't can both be called "organic". However, the following expressions are considered OK because they are not thought to mislead consumers.

We use JAS certified organic green beans.

However, if the product is not produced in a JAS organic factory, it cannot be labeled with the JAS organic mark.

The words "organic" and "organic" cannot be used. Now, I'm thinking that if "no pesticides are used," it would be okay to write "pesticide-free."

However, the law prohibits the use of the term "pesticide-free" because it may mislead consumers into thinking the product is of a higher quality . However, the term "pesticide-free" seems to be used very casually in many places.

Organic farming does not mean that no pesticides are used. Even if a farm says "We don't use pesticides," it cannot be denied that pesticides may be carried by the wind from neighboring fields, and there are no standards or organizations that certify that the produce is pesticide-free. Therefore, since it is physically impossible to grow pesticide-free, the idea is that you should refrain from using them.

So, what kind of expression is OK? It looks something like this.

No pesticides used during cultivation

From the manager's point of view, the difference between "no pesticides used" and "no pesticides used" is that "no pesticides used" means "not used but may contain pesticides" and "no pesticides used or not used." It is easy to prove that no pesticides have been used, but it is very difficult to prove that no pesticides are used. I think you can see that although they are similar expressions, their meanings are completely different.

It seems that if you write "best before date is written in ____" or "no pesticides used during cultivation" in the section explaining storage methods, called "comprehensive labeling," you can say "no pesticides used" in the product name, etc. It's a very difficult problem, so if you actually do it, I think it would be better to get advice from someone who is knowledgeable about the JAS Law, and as a store manager, I don't want to use wording that could mislead customers just because it's written in the comprehensive labeling.

Our beans are sourced from a trusted importer. At the very least, tests have proven that the residual pesticides are below the detectable limit. To begin with, selling questionable food products would be a huge problem for both retailers and importers, so I think you can trust us.

We will continue to strictly manage hygiene and provide coffee beans that everyone can enjoy with peace of mind.