Organic Produce FAQs
FAQs About Our Organic Produce
Rollin’ Oats Produce is 100% USDA Certified Organic. What does that mean?
We mean that ALL of the produce found in our produce section is 100% USDA certified organic. That means we only accept produce from suppliers who have the USDA organic certification.
Why don’t you carry more local produce?
We only carry produce that is 100% USDA certified organic. Getting that certification can sometimes be time consuming or costly for a smaller, local farmer. While we always believe in supporting local suppliers, we also want to make sure we abide by the produce standards set since the inception of Rollin’ Oats. If we were to make an exception for a local farmer that says they are organic, that opens up opportunities for other suppliers to do the same. And while we would like to entrust all suppliers and go by their word, sometimes there are regulations they may not even be aware of that could make their product not deemed organic. So ultimately, to stand by our mission, and the promise to our customers, we only accept 100% USDA certified organic produce.
Why can’t I seem to find specialty, or hard to find produce that I do at other stores?
We often try to carry produce that is hard to find elsewhere, but this all goes back to our 100% organic produce standards. Since we only provide organic options, that often means it is a seasonally available item. Unlike conventional produce that you may find year-round, organic produce can have more seasonality. We believe it is the best way to consume produce in the first place, for both our health and the environment.
Why can’t I find seeded produce in store if you only carry organic then? For example, seeded grapes or watermelon.
It is a common misconception that seedless produce is somehow genetically modified. Seedless produce is not GMO, it all goes back to how it was cultivated. If you look back at history, a lot of the produce we consume today was “modified” or domesticated by humans over time. Farmers would take an item that tasted good and encouraged the growth of it. In a nutshell, this is how seedless produce has become what it is today.
So, while we do in fact try to carry seeded grapes or seeded watermelon, it all goes back to what is available to us to buy. Sometimes it is available for us to purchase organic seeded produce. However, the cost could be so high, we may not purchase it knowing that our customer would not want to pay that high of a price.
Do you carry produce with APEEL applied to it?
We do not carry or plan to carry produce with APEEL. While it has been approved by the USDA to apply to certain organic produce (at this time, organic apples), we do not feel it is necessary to have this application applied to the produce we purchase and sell to our customer base.